Due to the greatly increased availability of network players, it is increasingly difficult for manufacturers to distinguish themselves in other ways. As a result, some adopt high-profile advertising campaigns, while the others jump on the train with the most options per square centimetre. The Swiss company, Merging Technologies has taken a different approach and, at the request of many, finally made the bold step to let the demanding audio consumer enjoy the quality of their renowned professional studio products. The MERGING+NADAC D/A converter introduced in 2015 was the first successful aptitude test. But the company wanted more and was also technically capable of achieving an even higher level of quality. The digital trio +PLAYER, +POWER and +CLOCK-U, presented in this test, is therefore designed to present the highest resolution and the most uncoloured realism of the moment.

Merging Technologies is one of the world’s leading manufacturer of high-resolution digital audio recording systems over the last 25 years. Merging Technologies was founded in 1990 in Chexbres, Switzerland by Claude Cellier; an electronics graduate of the Institute of Technology in Lausanne and who formerly was employed by the Swiss audio maker Nagra. Not long after the formation of Merging, Merging developed their Pyramix Virtual Studio which was one of the first companies to produce a DSD recording system. Merging Technologies has been developing solutions for DSD since the inception of the Super Audio CD in 1999 and has been delivering ever-improving DSD recording and processing systems for the professional audio community. The DXD format, (Digital eXtreme Definition) which works at 352.8kHz/24bit, was developed by Merging Technologies in collaboration with Philips, to overcome the challenges in editing and mastering DSD for SACD.

La reproduction des fichiers dématérialisée à son pinacle

La réputation mondiale des compagnies suisses dans le domaine de l’audio n’est plus à faire. Les marques telles Nagra, Revox, Goldmund, Jean Maurer, FM Acoustics et autres évoquent à elles seules la précision ainsi qu’une certaine forme de prestige. Le NADAC de Merging Technologies ne fait pas exception. Son design industriel soigné est directement inspiré des appareils offerts dans le domaine professionnel de l’enregistrement audionumérique. L’acronyme NADAC se décortique ainsi Network Attached Digital to Analog Converter. C’est justement l’utilisation de la réseautique qui différencie, à priori, le NADAC de ses compétiteurs. Vous avez bien compris, nous ne retrouvons aucune connectivité USB sur ce DAC. Vous êtes intrigué ? La lecture de cet article vous éclairera sur ce convertisseur hors du commun.

Originally the Swiss brand brought out the NADAC network attached DAC, essentially a digital to analogue converter with a network connection that meant you could send music data to it over Ethernet. Their next step was to create the Merging Player which is nearly identical to a NADAC except that it has a network streamer onboard, it has the same casework and name on the front but extra electronics inside. More recently they have released an external power supply for both NADAC and Player called logically enough, Power.

Merging come from a pro audio background, they build the Pyramix multi-track recording system which they have been making for over 25 years, their speciality is DSD, a format that has always been rare in the studio environment. The NADAC grew out of the Pyramix Hapi and Horus converters but comes in considerably more lavish attire and with numerous refinements, including in the case of the Player a Roon Core which is effectively a PC that runs Roon software and gives end users an control app that is very hard to beat.

Merging Technologies' smart solution is to put the player in the DAC. The Merging+Player, available in stereo and eight-channel versions, is a complete music player in a single box that requires only amps and speakers (or only powered speakers) to play any files stored anywhere on a home network. While the eight-channel Merging+NADAC costs $11,500, the eight-channel Merging+Player PL8 is priced at $13,500 and requires the purchase of a Roon subscription. Externally it's identical to the DAC, save for the addition of two USB Type A jacks for attached drives.

Installation consists of connecting: the analog output cables, RCA and/or XLR, to your power amps; an RJ45-terminated Ethernet cable to the Merging+Player RJ45 jack and your home network; and the AC power cable to player and wall. Switch it on and the Merging+Player is ready to go—but how to control it? Its bright, tiny screen and built-in controls serve only to configure the hardware, choose among inputs, and control volume.

Der Markt boomt: Stetig wachsen neue Streaming-Player nach. Doch nur die wenigsten haben, was Nadac einbringen kann: einen professionellen StudioAusstatter im Hintergrund. Klanglich sind wir in den höchsten Weihen daheim.

Die Schweizer statten die feinsten Tonstudios aus: mit komplexen “Digital Audio Workstations“ unter dem Logo Pyramix. Mehr geht nicht in der professionellen Sparte. Doch das hier angesammelte Wissen wäre zu schade, würde es nicht auch an die Fans weitergereicht.

The MERGING+PLAYER with an iPad is suddenly transformed into a complete digital hub and all your music is hanging from that hub. This comes because the program Merging itself used to drive the original NADAC is replaced by Roon, and the big feather in the MERGING+PLAYER’s cap is full Roon-ready capacity. Without the ‘+PLAYER’ part, this is a very fine DAC, but with it, it is a complete and extremely potent audio server.

At the Munich High End show this year, I talked to Merging Technologies' Dominique Brulhart about network audio, AES67, Ravenna, and many other items. Needless to say, I learned wait a bit and was really impressed by what is happening in this area of HiFi. After our conversation I asked Dominique if he would be willing to help educate the CA Community on all of this stuff. Dom was 100% on-board and agreed that we didn't even have to discuss Merging Technologies products, as long as we could educate the community.

Nee hè, niet alweer een DAC test! Waarschijnlijk is dit één van de eerste gedachten die bij u naar boven borrelen bij het zien van bovenstaand intro. Het is een kreet die ik zelf ook heel goed kan voorstellen. Vooral doordat tijdens het spreekwoordelijk ‘als paddenstoelen uit de grond schieten’ van de productgroep digitaal naar analoog converters, er tegelijkertijd ook helaas een te grote eenvormigheid in klank is ontstaan. De NADAC van het Zwitserse Merging Technologies is gelukkig anders. Anders qua concept, anders qua gebruikte technologie en positief afwijkend als product. Maak kennis met een concept dat hoogstaande technologie, uitgebreide mogelijkheden, bedieningscomfort en innovatie, aan een werkelijk grensverleggende weergave weet te koppelen.

La réputation mondiale des compagnies suisses dans le domaine de l’audio n’est plus à faire. Les marques telles Nagra, Revox, Goldmund, Jean Maurer, FM Acoustics et autres évoquent à elles seules la précision ainsi qu’une certaine forme de prestige. Le NADAC de Merging Technologies ne fait pas exception. Son design industriel soigné est directement inspiré des appareils offerts dans le domaine professionnel de l’enregistrement audionumérique. L’acronyme NADAC se décortique ainsi Network Attached Digital to Analog Converter. C’est justement l’utilisation de la réseautique qui différencie, à priori, le NADAC de ses compétiteurs. Vous avez bien compris, nous ne retrouvons aucune connectivité USB sur ce DAC. Vous êtes intrigué ? La lecture de cet article vous éclairera sur ce convertisseur hors du commun.

Merging is very proud to announce that MERGING+NADAC has once again been elected as Best D/A and Best Buy Product #1 in the Japanese magazine StereoSound No 201 Grand Prix 2016-2017. As a reminder MERGING+NADAC was the winner of last year’s Grand Prix for Best D/A.

Modi Digital, the distributors for Merging Technologies in India, arranged for a meet and greet with Maurice Engler - Project Manager/Training Expert, Merging Technologies at Lakozy Mumbai, to showcase their network attached digital to analogue converter (NADAC) Model MC-8 and also provide a glimpse of the company background.

The Merging NADAC was hooked up with PSB T3 Speakers & NAD Master Series Power Amplifier, connected with Supra Cabling. The Merging NADAC basically come in Pro Audio & Home Audio Avatar's. Both versions are offered in 2 Channel & 8 Channel Options. Merging Technologies has also worked extensively with Roon Labs, to provide a player that seamlessly integrates with the NADAC.

Den allerbesten Sound auf der diesjährigen High End Swiss bot zweifellos die Installation von Merging Nadac und Philharmonia Audio. Für schlanke 40000 Euro pro Paar gab’s ein Pärchen Aktivmonitore im massiven, wohlgeformten Multiplexgehäuse, das sogar im akustisch eher schwierigen Konferenzraum eine klanglich hervorragende Figur machte. Dieser highfidele Tonstudio-Ableger aus Frankreich war definitiv das Klang-Highlight der High End Swiss 2016, wie selbst ein paar Mitbewerber neidlos zugeben mussten. Bravourös!

Translated abstract from the article:

The expression of sound is different between professional and HiFi audio equipment. The professional equipment pursues sound accuracy while HiFi emphasizes a multi-layered and deep experience for the enjoyment of sound. Based on this concept, audiophiles prefer HiFi equipment as professional equipment do not completely capture their needs. However, the NADAC leverages its professional background to provide both accuracy and a layered experience, and I believe it will change audiophile preferences.

“During one of our demonstrations, I presented a music file created from a vinyl using Merging's analog to digital system. When the music began to play, audiophiles in attendance were amazed at the rich multilayered sound in the air. They felt as though they were listening to one of the finest quality vinyls. Based on our experiences, we are confident that NADAC has the ability to convey recording studio quality audio at home, even after decoding.

If you have not heard the sound that comes from the NADAC yet, please attend a demonstration and listen to the difference yourself!”

Der er mange DACs og mange formater på markedet, men nogle tager tingene lidt længere ud end andre. Det nyeste digitale forbruger format hedder DXD, men hvad er det, og hvad skal det bruges til når vi allerede har fået DSD?

“Dette er p.t. den bedste DAC der er lagt øre til på matriklen, og den er hver en krone værd - uanset at prisskiltet ikke er for alle.”

“This is best DAC we have ever auditioned and it is worth every penny - even if the price tag might not suit everyone.”

“I installed the NADAC in my set up using the Merging Emotion player, with Windows7. The Swiss DAC passed the first tests with flying colours by working flawlessly and showing from the very beginning a peculiarity which, in my opinion, constitutes one of the best prerogatives: silence. I guess it is due to the Ethernet connection. Obviously I do not mean the silence level which you can also reach with a good USB connection. I am talking about an absolute black on which the sounds are focused like silhouettes on the background. Another peculiarity of this DAC is its unusual speed and dynamics. Additionally, this NADAC is a powerful critic in the case of a lousy recording, detecting all the deficiencies precisely.

Switching to DSD with the NADAC moves it to another level and reveals the absolute excellence of its playback quality.

Merging Technologies’ NADAC is a distinctive device compared with existing DACs, thanks to its innovative technical solution; introducing networking into domestic audio. In conclusion the performance of this DAC is excellent, particularly if using high resolution files in DSD format with the Emotion player. Taking into consideration the above, its price, below EURO 10’000 seems to me to be in a very good relationship with the quality of this professional DAC.”

In yet another inroad from the Pro studio arena into the audiophile/enthusiast space, Switzerland’s Merging Technologies’ NADAC (network adaptable digital-to-analogue converter) has plans to disrupt the status quo of the established consumer high-end digital specialists. And, as if to rub further salt into the wounds of the competitionat consumer level, the NADAC’s in-built Merging Technologies-developed Pro credentialled Ravenna Ethernet network protocol allows connectivity (via standard RJ45-terminated Cat5e/6 cable) to a LAN and music server environmentwithout the cable length limitations and other potential issues related to ye ole’USB. Ethernet connectivity allows digital information to be sent across from the server (or dedicated computer source) to the NADAC in data packets transferred at gigabit speeds allowing extremely precise error correction while reducing jitter to claimed unprecedentedly-low levels (can you hear the competition shouting: ‘Why didn’t we do that?’)

“In fact, the NADAC did wonders with this track: Podger’s instrument sounded like no mere facsimile of a violin. Instead, the sounds of the strings were so tangible that I felt I could reach out and wrap my hand around them. The highest frequencies were delicately rendered and sounded completely natural -- the antithesis of early digital. There were no hard edges, no overly crisp transients -- just beautiful sound.”

“The sense of space around the singers, the extreme depth of soundfield, and the tonally meaty voices made this track super-enjoyable through the NADAC ST-2.”

“If you’re getting the sense that the NADAC was easy to listen to, you’re right.”

“Those qualities -- solidity of images, density of tonal colors -- were present in all the music I played through the NADAC.”

“In terms of features, the NADAC is a next-generation device, replacing the USB connection that has become the standard way to connect a DAC to a computer system. Instead, the NADAC’s Ethernet port, implemented in conjunction with an industry-standard software protocol (Ravenna), delivers network capability so that the NADAC can access music from a variety of computer-derived sources throughout the user’s home. This functionality should easily become the new standard; I think it will replace USB as the de facto method for connecting computer devices to an audio system. It works great.”

The results were announced in December in Issue 197. This edition also contains a review of the Merging NADAC by Takahito Miura, one of Japan’s most respected audiophile reviewers.

Some key comments have been translated from the review and are reproduced here.

“This immediately made me sit forward on my chair. Even taking into account the fact that we were using an excellent demonstration system, the singer’s voice was reproduced with great clarity, in an especially solid, three-dimensional form between the loudspeakers.”

“I was taken aback by how natural the applause, whistling and other audience sounds were reproduced. The clarity and detail was as though the NADAC was being used with an external clock – although none was actually connected.”

“As I expected, on the 11.2MHz DSD, the naturalness of the sound space, the vividness of the vocal and the pureness of the guitar’s timbre were exceptional, but more than that I was most impressed by how clearly I could hear each element of the music.”

“On the Jennifer Warnes track, First We Take Manhattan, which I am very familiar with, the rhythm section was incisive and tight and it was a performance with a real sense of speed, so much so that I became lost in the music.”

回想起来，我之所以有幸认识Merging Technology，是因为AndreKoch(DSD核心技术拥有者之一)曾跟我提及过关于Pyramix数字工作站的事情。Pyramix正是Merging Technology与Philips合作下的产物，配合Merging Technology的AD/DA转换器能实现DSD的录音和编辑工作，而且可支持DSD256(1bit/11.2MHz)和DXD(PCM 24bit/384kHz)的数字音频规格，是目前业界的最高规格。我翻查过自己近年来购买的SACD和蓝光音乐碟的录音信息才发现它们很多都是采用Pyramix工作站和Merging Technology AD/DA转换器制作而成。而对于MergingTechnology推出民用级NADAC的消息我很早就了解到了，他们的目的就是希望用家能通过NADAC来得到等同于录音后期制作室的声音效果。但万万都想不到，NADAC进入中国市场的速度比我预料的要快。出于个人对音响的爱好，我找到了NADAC中国区的代理商，并借了一台回家试听。

Merging might not be one of those names that trips off the audiophile tongue, but if you scratch the surface, this Swiss company has one heck of a pedigree. The company is extremely well known in the high-end pro audio world and Merging's Pyramix Virtual Studio suite is the gold standard in album publishing and mastering. Let's put it this way; unless your music collecting came to an abrupt end a few years ago, the chances are some of your best-loved recent albums were recorded or mastered using Merging's Digital Audio Workstations.
Perhaps more relevant given the NADAC tested here, the best studios around the globe often feature Merging's Horus or Hapi 'analogue sections' - robust, network-enabled multichannel DACs, designed for optimal conversion in monitoring and analogue applications in the sort of studios where they bandy around terms like 'mission critical'.

Product launches happen all the time in fine audio. We have well over 300 DSD DACs now, for example, new turntables and cartridges all the time, with amps, preamps, integrateds, headphones, wireless speakers, cables, accessories, music servers, NAS/hard-drive arrays, and speakers spilling forth continuously. It seems like nearly every day I get new press releases from high-end audio companies announcing new designs, or updates to older products.
Then again, once in a blue moon, we get something new. A design that's so different, with qualities or combinations of qualities that are so notable, that we get a bit... or a lot... of a paradigm bump.

Merging Technologies est un spécialiste du matériel d'enregistrement professionnel numérique haute résolution. Les origines de cette entreprise remontent au début des années 1990 en Suisse où Claude Cellier, ingénieur en électronique diplômé de l'Institut de Technologie de Lausanne, fonda dans la ville de Chexbres ce qui devait devenir quelques années plus tard une des références incontournables du matériel d'enregistrement audio professionnel. Claude Cellier avait préalablement travaillé chez Nagra pendant une dizaine d'année, autant dire qu'il n'était pas novice en matiére de matériel d'enregistrement professionnel.

MERGING+NADAC will be on show in room 1025 at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver on October 2nd to 4th.

On a Higher Note, LLC has been appointed as the exclusive distributor of USA and Canada for Merging Technologies' new MERGING+NADAC products.

MERGING+NADAC will be on show on Kimber Kable booth in CE Week 2015 in New York City on June 24th and 25th.