Hello Everyone,
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fosi Merak CD Player and Transport.
Sorry, not the best picture ever, but done in a rush between two storms
Fosi Merak - Presentation
This is a low cost CD Player and actually @Rocky Rococo did a good presentation and mini-review of it yesterday, so I won't repeat. And as opposed to him, I had to finance it
The back of the unit shows the essential:
Line output from a 3.5mm jack, and a standard Toslink optical output (cool).
User Experience
I liked the speed of the drive to skip one or multiple tracks, and also to FFW/REW which is always practical for me with my test CD.
It took me some time to find that the power on/off button is also the one to select the operating mode. At one point, I thought it would not read a CD
The Merak is gapless playback but does not apply de-emphasis. It had no issue playing a lengthy 76+min hybrid SACD from beginning to end.
Only one output is active at a time (opti, line, headphones) which I regret.
I had pleasure listening to it with a Beyer DT 770 Pro (80 ohms) but I had to push the volume high (no measurements of the phones out, sorry). And please don’t trust my ears, they are not golden So, just saying…
And seeing the disc spinning through the glass top window is a winner for me. I love it!
Fosi Merak - Measurements (Line out)
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the SMSL PL-200 review. I used the commercial version of my Audio Technical CD for all measurements. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
The Merak outputs 1.954Vrms from left and right channels, meaning perfect channel balance (nice). However the phase showed a 180° shift across the BW
Since the two channels are identical, I will show only one channel as it speeds up the review for me.
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (Line out):
This is not best in class, and we loose 0.5bits of resolution because of the distortion. Note that the calculated SNR is near max possible at 98.3dB (unweighted) despite the full scale test tone.
Same 999.91Hz but @-6dBFS, no dither:
Unfortunately, the distorsion rose, but it is still acceptable. Not best in class, again, but more than decent if you ask me.
----
Let's have a look a potential Power Supply leakages, the below is a 20Hz to 1kHz zoom with a punishing 512k FFT length to reveal issues:
Very limited BUT I had to power the Merak with my PC to get there. As a matter of facts, it is relatively sensitive to the quality of the power supply, so you better use a battery pack.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
The two channels are overlaid, so you can appreciate the perfect balance.
Only -0.2dB at 20Hz, this is a near perfect trace.
----
Let's have a look at the behavior of the oversampling filter beyond 20kHz:
We see the effect of the noise shaper beyond 45kHz, and the attenuation is roughly -90dB, fully active at 24kHz and that is good.
----
Next is the multitone test that a lot of you like very much, but you won't be happy with the results:
Oops, we have distortion, especially at lower frequencies. Let's have a closer look at that with a 100Hz tone @0dBFS (with dither):
Yep, lots of distortion (no noise), and we get lucky this is only in the lowest frequencies, where we are less likely to suffer from that.
----
On the contrary, the jitter test is one of the best I measured:
Red is from digital output and blue from the line output. Very low noise if you compare with many of my other reviews.
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
The interpolator of the Merak has no headroom for intersample overs as so many other CD Players. Too bad since so many CD Masters are recorded too hot.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
This is a very beautiful trace, proof that the noise is extremely low in this little thing. The shape of the "squares" (descending ringing) tells us about the impulse response of the digital oversampling filter (limited pre-ringing):
----
Other measurements (not shown):
The Dynamic range is best in class.
Crosstalk is very low and constant across the bandwidth.
Pitch error is higher than usual at -61ppm, but that will remain hidden to your ears. An external DAC with low phase noise clock would correct that.
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I overlayed the results with the SMSL PL200:
Yes, the Merak suffers from distortion, especially at low frequencies.
----
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results compared to others:
Again, the Merak is let down by its distortion, but as you can appreciate, the end result is not too bad.
Fosi Merak - Testing the drive
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
Here are the results:
Yeah! Best in class here. I saw it interpolating from 2mm, but I could not hear anything.
Fosi Merak - Digital output
Ok, so we get a decent CD player, and to expect better from a modern DAC, we need a perfect digital output. Let's check that.
This is my standard 999.91Hz @0dBFS (no dither):
Yep, as I like to see, no modifications.
Next is the 3DC test:
Peeeerfect!
My ultimate proof of "perfect" digital output is when I reuse the intersample overs test at 5512.50Hz, with a phase shift of 67.5°, like I did for the TASCAM CD-200 review. This signal generates an overshoot of +0.69dB. And so, if the signal would be modified before being sent (by an ASRC for instance), it would show either a reduction of amplitude or we'd see some sort of saturation/increase of noise/distorsion. So, here we go:
No distortion and the dashboard shows +0.69dBFS as expected. No ASRC on the digital path here. SNR is only 95.6dB because there is rectangle dither in this test file (consuming half a bit of resolution).
We get a perfect transport in case you're not happy with the internal DAC, and this is very cool.
Conclusion
The only flaws of the Merak are the distortion and the non-linear phase from its analog output. Other than that, it is often reaching best in class results, especially on the noise side.
From the digital output, I must qualify it as the "Absolute Transport". It is impossible to be asking for more since it ranked #1 in all my demanding tests. Looking again at the price… I’m speechless.
With an external DAC and very good headphone amplifier, it will be a killing machine. That is why I personally rated it as Excellent. It is the best CD Transport I measured, and the cheapest.
Very well done to Fosi!
Enjoy your weekend.
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Fosi Merak CD Player and Transport.
Sorry, not the best picture ever, but done in a rush between two storms
Fosi Merak - Presentation
This is a low cost CD Player and actually @Rocky Rococo did a good presentation and mini-review of it yesterday, so I won't repeat. And as opposed to him, I had to finance it
The back of the unit shows the essential:
Line output from a 3.5mm jack, and a standard Toslink optical output (cool).
User Experience
I liked the speed of the drive to skip one or multiple tracks, and also to FFW/REW which is always practical for me with my test CD.
It took me some time to find that the power on/off button is also the one to select the operating mode. At one point, I thought it would not read a CD
The Merak is gapless playback but does not apply de-emphasis. It had no issue playing a lengthy 76+min hybrid SACD from beginning to end.
Only one output is active at a time (opti, line, headphones) which I regret.
I had pleasure listening to it with a Beyer DT 770 Pro (80 ohms) but I had to push the volume high (no measurements of the phones out, sorry). And please don’t trust my ears, they are not golden
So, just saying…And seeing the disc spinning through the glass top window is a winner for me. I love it!
Fosi Merak - Measurements (Line out)
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the SMSL PL-200 review. I used the commercial version of my Audio Technical CD for all measurements. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
The Merak outputs 1.954Vrms from left and right channels, meaning perfect channel balance (nice). However the phase showed a 180° shift across the BW
Since the two channels are identical, I will show only one channel as it speeds up the review for me.
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (Line out):
This is not best in class, and we loose 0.5bits of resolution because of the distortion. Note that the calculated SNR is near max possible at 98.3dB (unweighted) despite the full scale test tone.
Same 999.91Hz but @-6dBFS, no dither:
Unfortunately, the distorsion rose, but it is still acceptable. Not best in class, again, but more than decent if you ask me.
----
Let's have a look a potential Power Supply leakages, the below is a 20Hz to 1kHz zoom with a punishing 512k FFT length to reveal issues:
Very limited BUT I had to power the Merak with my PC to get there. As a matter of facts, it is relatively sensitive to the quality of the power supply, so you better use a battery pack.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
The two channels are overlaid, so you can appreciate the perfect balance.
Only -0.2dB at 20Hz, this is a near perfect trace.
----
Let's have a look at the behavior of the oversampling filter beyond 20kHz:
We see the effect of the noise shaper beyond 45kHz, and the attenuation is roughly -90dB, fully active at 24kHz and that is good.
----
Next is the multitone test that a lot of you like very much, but you won't be happy with the results:
Oops, we have distortion, especially at lower frequencies. Let's have a closer look at that with a 100Hz tone @0dBFS (with dither):
Yep, lots of distortion (no noise), and we get lucky this is only in the lowest frequencies, where we are less likely to suffer from that.
----
On the contrary, the jitter test is one of the best I measured:
Red is from digital output and blue from the line output. Very low noise if you compare with many of my other reviews.
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
| Intersample-overs tests Bandwidth of the THD+N measurements is 20Hz - 96kHz | 5512.5 Hz sine, Peak = +0.69dBFS | 7350 Hz sine, Peak = +1.25dBFS | 11025 Hz sine, Peak = +3.0dBFS |
| Teac VRDS-20 | -30.7dB | -26.6dB | -17.6dB |
| Yamaha CD-1 | -84.6dB | -84.9dB | -78.1dB |
| Denon DCD-900NE | -34.2dB | -27.1dB | -19.1dB |
| Denon DCD-SA1 | -33.6dB | -27.6dB | -18.3dB |
| Onkyo C-733 | -88.3dB | -40.4dB | -21.2dB |
| Denon DCD-3560 | -30.2dB | -24.7dB | -17.4dB |
| Myryad Z210 | -70.6dB (noise dominated) | -71.1dB (noise dominated) | -29.4dB (H3 dominated) |
| Sony CDP-X333ES | -30.5dB | -24.8dB | -16.3dB |
| BARCO-EMT 982 | -32.7dB | -24.5dB | -16.3dB |
| TASCAM CD-200 | -73.5dB | -36.3dB | -19.7dB |
| Sony CDP-597 | -30.4dB | -24.7dB | -16.5dB |
| SMSL PL100 | -53.1dB | -31dB | -19.1dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 | -39dB | -28.8dB | -19.2dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 (vol -2dB) | -95dB | -97.5dB | -32.7dB |
| SMSL PL200 | -94.8dB | -97dB | -39.5dB |
| SMSL PL200 (vol -1dB) | -94.8dB | -97dB | -58.7dB |
| Orpheus Zero | -88.7dB | -87.3dB | -56.8dB |
| Azur 640C V2 | -89.8dB | -91dB | -64.5dB |
| NAD C540 | -34.1dB | -26.3dB | -20.4dB |
| Consonance CD120B | -84.3dB | -39.6dB | -20.9dB |
| Fosi Merak | -38.8dB | -28.5dB | -18.5dB |
The interpolator of the Merak has no headroom for intersample overs as so many other CD Players. Too bad since so many CD Masters are recorded too hot.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
This is a very beautiful trace, proof that the noise is extremely low in this little thing. The shape of the "squares" (descending ringing) tells us about the impulse response of the digital oversampling filter (limited pre-ringing):
----
Other measurements (not shown):
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Analog" (18kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -87.1dB
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Digital" (17'987Hz & 19'997Hz 1:1) : -88.5dB
- IMD AES-17 MD (41Hz & 7993Hz 4:1): -94.4dB
- IMD DIN (250Hz & 8kHz 4:1) : -82.9dB
- IMD CCIF (19kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -88.7B
- IMD SMPTE (60Hz & 17kHz 1:4) : -82.6dB
- IMD TDFD Bass (41Hz & 89Hz 1:1) : -79.1dB
- IMD TDFD (13'58Hz & 19841Hz 1:1) : -82.6dB
- Dynamic Range : 99dB (without dither @-60dBFS)
- Crosstalk: 100Hz (-116dBr), 1kHz (-116dBr), 10kHz (-116dBr)
- Pitch Error (GPSDO corrected) : 19'995.78Hz (19'997Hz requested) ie -61ppm
- Gapless playback : Yes
The Dynamic range is best in class.
Crosstalk is very low and constant across the bandwidth.
Pitch error is higher than usual at -61ppm, but that will remain hidden to your ears. An external DAC with low phase noise clock would correct that.
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I overlayed the results with the SMSL PL200:
Yes, the Merak suffers from distortion, especially at low frequencies.
----
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results compared to others:
| CD Player model or DAC | Calculated ENOB (999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither, THD+N span = 20Hz - 6kHz) | Percentage of max resolution achieved (higher is better) |
| SMSL PL-200 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| OPPO BDP-95 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| SMSL PS-200 (from CD player) | 18.6bits | 99.47% |
| Denon DCD-900NE | 18.5bits | 98.93% |
| Orpheus Zero | 18.4bits | 98.40% |
| Azur 640C V2 | 18.3bits | 97.86% |
| Consonance CD 120B | 18.2bits | 97.33% |
| Onkyo C-733 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL150 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL100 | 17.9bits | 95.72% |
| Fosi Merak | 17.7bits | 94.65% |
| Sony CDP-597 | 17.5bits | 93.58% |
| Onkyo DX-7355 | 17.3bits | 92.51% |
| Denon DCD-3560 | 17.2bits | 91.98% |
| Yamaha CD-S303 | 16.8bits | 89.84% |
| Revox B-226S | 16.8bits | 89.94% |
| Accuphase DP-70 | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| NAD C540 | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Sony CDP-337ESD | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Teac VRDS-25x | 16.5bits | 88.24% |
| Marantz CD-73 | 14.9bits | 79.68% |
Again, the Merak is let down by its distortion, but as you can appreciate, the end result is not too bad.
Fosi Merak - Testing the drive
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
Here are the results:
| Test type | Technical test | Results |
| Variation of linear cutting velocity | From 1.20m/s to 1.40m/s | Pass |
| Variation of track pitch | From 1.5µm to 1.7µm | Pass |
| Combined variations of track pitch and velocity | From 1.20m/s & 1.5µm to 1.40m/s & 1.7µm | Pass |
| HF detection (asymmetry pitch/flat ratio) | Variation from 2% to 18% | Pass |
| Dropouts resistance | From 0.05mm (0.038ms) to 4mm (3.080ms) | Pass |
| Combined dropouts and smallest pitch | From 1.5µm & 1mm to 1.5µm & 2.4mm | Pass |
| Successive dropouts | From 2x0.1mm to 2x3mm | Pass |
Yeah! Best in class here. I saw it interpolating from 2mm, but I could not hear anything.
Fosi Merak - Digital output
Ok, so we get a decent CD player, and to expect better from a modern DAC, we need a perfect digital output. Let's check that.
This is my standard 999.91Hz @0dBFS (no dither):
Yep, as I like to see, no modifications.
Next is the 3DC test:
Peeeerfect!
My ultimate proof of "perfect" digital output is when I reuse the intersample overs test at 5512.50Hz, with a phase shift of 67.5°, like I did for the TASCAM CD-200 review. This signal generates an overshoot of +0.69dB. And so, if the signal would be modified before being sent (by an ASRC for instance), it would show either a reduction of amplitude or we'd see some sort of saturation/increase of noise/distorsion. So, here we go:
No distortion and the dashboard shows +0.69dBFS as expected. No ASRC on the digital path here. SNR is only 95.6dB because there is rectangle dither in this test file (consuming half a bit of resolution).
We get a perfect transport in case you're not happy with the internal DAC, and this is very cool.
Conclusion
The only flaws of the Merak are the distortion and the non-linear phase from its analog output. Other than that, it is often reaching best in class results, especially on the noise side.
From the digital output, I must qualify it as the "Absolute Transport". It is impossible to be asking for more since it ranked #1 in all my demanding tests. Looking again at the price… I’m speechless.
With an external DAC and very good headphone amplifier, it will be a killing machine. That is why I personally rated it as Excellent. It is the best CD Transport I measured, and the cheapest.
Very well done to Fosi!
Enjoy your weekend.
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