MAGAZINE
The newly presented successor to the DAC 1, the DAC1 Mk II, has undergone a thorough overhaul, as the Swiss manufacturer promises. Merason states that the signal routing and the PCB layout have been impedance-optimized, and the shielding of the components against external interference is also said to have been improved.
Many classic components have been replaced by SMD versions, which are said to offer an extremely short contact path to the PCB. According to the manufacturer, the capacitors now feature polystyrene as a dielectric, while the pair-matched transistors are mounted on the heat sink by means of disc springs for optimal temperature compensation, which is said to result in a significantly reduced harmonic distortion. An AES/EBU input has also been added, while the DAC module remains unchanged and still processes signals up to 24 bit/192 kHz.
All DAC1 owners can also have their device upgraded to the MK II level. The price for the DAC1 MK II is set at around €8000 in Germany.
