The Sound
Contents
This time no night and day differences like with the Brooklyn but we do get more of what the Frérot already has in it. More authority in the bass for example.
We hear this clearly with Simin Tander, great voice, on the song “Sta Lorey”. There is more foundation in the electric bass and drums. Also on Crowded House’s great new album, we clearly notice a more mature sound. In addition, the midrange pulls open a bit more which benefits the imaging.
We notice this on “The road” by the Belgian Sohnarr. This atmospheric music is a delight to the ear and is beautifully recorded. There is also just a bit more calmness in the quiet passages making this music even more enchanting.
These improvements are subtle so if you are thinking of upgrading your dac, streamer or amplifier with a separate power supply always listen to your system first.
Compare
Our reference, the Sonnet Digital Audio Morpheus, costs 3400 euros. The Frérot with Merason Audio Pow1 power supply comes in at 1790 euros combined. About half the price of the Morpheus.
The Morpheus however has a fine volume control, AES and I2S as possible connections, an LED screen and a remote control. In addition, Cees Ruytenberg uses ‘custom made’ dac chips (now DAC3 for Metrum dacs and the 2nd version for Sonnet). Yes, it goes on and on.
We connect both dacs unbalanced to the HPA4 with Grimm TPR rca cables and make sure the volume is equalized. The Morpheus is a prodigious d/a converter but the Frérot with Pow1 power supply is close to it now. Still, the Morpheus’ highs are a bit more refined and the mids a bit more insightful.
On our Revels, we also find the Morpheus’ bass more balanced. Again, we are talking about subtle differences in a direct comparison. When we just play with the Frérot (with or without power supply) for a while, we don’t feel like we’re missing anything, nor do we suffer from listening fatigue.