So, we’re talking about two DACs with a very close performance and sound signature here. The Meier comes out to be the more mechanical sounding one, and the DACmini to be the more natural sounding and the one that I’d go for. Though instrument separation is clearer on the Meier, the decay seems abruptly cut off and again I very much prefer the DACmini’s version. The Meier can come out to be slightly more detailed of the two, but on my ears it sounded as if the details were forced to be visible, and the result is a sound that is not as natural as the DACmini’s. Comparing the two DACs side by side, I actually prefer the CEntrance DACmini’s equally transparent and colorless rendition of the sound. Take the CEntrance DACmini, which happens to share a very similar, colorless sound presentation to the Stagedac. The other factor is products from the competition. These days, I can get a ~$100 USB Dac like the Audinst or the HRT Music Streamer II that does 24/96 over USB, and every newer DAC introduced in the market seems to bring even higher numbers to the table, including the 32-bit Fostex HP-A3 that I’m also writing a review on. Perhaps the first weak point is the USB receiver that remains to be limited in the 16/48 realm (due to the PCM2704 receiver chip used). While the performance of the Stagedac is quite respectable - clear sound, plenty of details, good articulation, et cetera, and yet, as a whole product I am not sure that the Stagedac has what it takes to be competitive in today’s DAC market. Though S/PDIF input goes as high as 24/192, the USB section is only limited to 16/48 - certainly substandard in today’s age of 24/96 even on entry level DACs. Meier does claim some fancy supporting components like Nichicon buffer caps, Vishay caps in the signal path, and an LM6171 opamps biased into class-A using LM334 current sources (I guess that’s the output stage?). The Stagedac starts with some fairly common components: a WM8741 D/A converter, a WM8804 S/PDIF receiver, and a PCM2704 USB receiver. Incidentally, the lettering on the front panel is laser-engraved.The Meier Stagedac DAC and the Concerto amplifier are two of the latest stand alone desktop amplifier and DAC box from Meier Audio. As headphone amplifier, I have a Schiit Magni 2, that has enough power for almost every headphone.įinally, I would like to show you the setup at work, of course. There is also a (blue illuminated) power off switch on the right, to de-energize the RasPi. The toggle switch on the left, is a bypass switch for the crossfeed. On the Front are 2 rotary switches to adjust the crossfeed to source and amplifier and a third for the strength of the crossfeed effect. For visual reasons the button is on the back side of the case. My setup consists of RasPi 3 with HiFiBerry DAC +, Volumio 2.361 and activated GIPIO Buttons plugin for the shutdown function. It sounds now more natural and hearing becomes much less stressful. The reflections with time delay of the sound from loudspeakers will now be simulated for headphones through the crossfeed circuit. On my search for remedy, I found the freely accessible passive Crossfeed circuit by Jan Meier, which is adaptable to the source and the amplifier. This is different with loudspeakers, because reflections from one channel arrive at the other ear quieter and However, since most music is mixed for speakers, it often sounds unnatural, because a strict channel separation can be heard via headphones. I mostly listen to my music through headphones. Nothing great, but it does everything I need and that very good. I would like to introduce you my headphone station project.