MERASON FREROT + POW1

Pre owned. In excellent condition. No visible signs of wear. Comes with original manuals and packaging.

The Merason Frerot is the “little brother” of the renowned DAC-1, offering a concentration of technology and sound quality at a more accessible price while maintaining the high level of musicality that made the flagship model famous. Entirely made in Switzerland, the Frerot follows Merason’s philosophy of simple architecture, clean design, and high-quality components, with meticulous attention to digital signal management. Every digital input, whether USB, RCA, or Toslink, is galvanically isolated and dejittered, ensuring that no external interference can affect the purity of the signal. The signal is then converted to I²S format using an AK4118 chip and sent to the Texas Instruments 1794A DAC, where the current-to-voltage conversion is handled with discrete components and a Class A buffer, with voltage regulation managed by a proprietary circuit.

Despite its compact size, the Frerot delivers remarkable sound quality, capable of competing with much higher-end DACs. Its performance is characterized by exceptional fluidity and musicality, with an analog warmth that is noticeable from the first listening. At the same time, it offers excellent transparency and definition, with a capacity to extract details from the signal that allows listeners to rediscover every track in their collection. The sound is rich in harmonics, airy, and capable of creating a three-dimensional, deep, and tangible soundstage where instruments and voices appear physically present in the listening environment. The entire frequency spectrum shares these qualities: highs are defined and airy, mids natural and expressive with stunningly realistic vocals, and lows are full, deep, harmonically rich, and always controlled and articulated. The dynamic range is impressive, allowing natural transitions from delicate passages to powerful sonic peaks without losing naturalness or detail.

The Frerot features USB inputs based on Amanero technology, two RCA inputs, and two Toslink inputs. Its power supply is managed by ten dedicated units, with the four output channels powered by a single switching voltage regulator. The fully balanced architecture, with four independent channels from the DAC modules to the outputs, ensures consistent and precise reproduction. Like the DAC-1, the Frerot can be further enhanced with a high-quality optional power supply that uses a 5-pin DIN connection to provide separate voltage rails for the internal digital and analog sections, further improving musicality and control.

The POW1 is specifically designed to integrate seamlessly with the Frerot, meeting the DAC’s power requirements optimally. It features two linear power supplies dedicated to the audio section, while a third supply provides the foundation for the digital and logic sections of the Frerot. The generously sized transformer is built to Merason’s exact specifications, ensuring stability, precision, and superior sound quality. This careful power supply design allows the Frerot to fully express its musicality, offering more natural dynamics, greater definition, and even more accurate control across the entire sonic spectrum.

Technical specifications:

• Maximum output: 4 V RMS balanced; 2 V RMS unbalanced
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz ±0.2 dB
• THD+N: < 0.006 %
• Signal-to-noise ratio: > 120 dB
• DAC: BurrBrown 1794A with discrete I/V stage
• Power supply: 9 V DC, 12 W via included external power supply; external power supply 100–240 V AC, 50–60 Hz, 40 W
• Operating temperature: 10–30 °C
• Maximum humidity: 80 % non-condensing
• Heat increase during operation: approximately +15 K above ambient temperature
• Supported input formats: 44.1 kHz@16/24 bit; 48 kHz@16/24 bit; 88.2 kHz@24 bit; 96 kHz@24 bit; 176.4 kHz@24 bit; 192 kHz@24 bit
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 22.5 x 5 x 18 cm
• Weight: 995 g DAC; 200 g power supply