Despite the popularity of streaming music, many of us still have large CD collections and enjoy the sense of ownership and control that comes with collecting music on physical media.Fosi Audio’s new Merak CD player is part of a new breed of players designed to address the needs of those of us who still listen to and collect compact discs as well as the growing number of music lovers discovering the joys of CDs for the first time. The Merak does everything good players of the past did and then adds a few new tricks as well.
First Impressions
The Merak CD player arrived neatly and securely packed in a box that included the unit itself, a remote control, a USB-A to USB-C cable and a user manual. The manual is clearly written and is translated into several languages.
The Merak is an attractively designed device in a small form-factor. The exterior housing of the Merak is made of aluminum. The device feels substantial and well-made. It is a top-loading player. I liked the transparent composite window in the lid which allows you to see the CD spinning during play.
The front panel has buttons that allow the user to power on the unit, choose the input mode (USB /CD), select output (Line, Optical, Headphone), choose play, review, fast forward and more. A headphone jack is also located on the front panel. Prominently placed in the center of the front is an illuminated display which shows the status of the various functions.
On the right-side panel is an attractive, large orange sliding volume button which controls only the headphone output.
The back panel has a toggle switch labeled ESP (electronic skip protection), Line Output, USB Port, Optical Digital Output, 12V trigger Output and DC Power Input (5V/2)
The Merak player is described on the box as being portable, and it is…in the sense that it can be easily carried from room to room. However, since it lacks an internal battery, it must always be plugged into a power source.
Operation
To power on the unit, the Merak CD player must be connected to a USB power adapter. Though a USB-C cable is included in the box, the user must supply their own power block. Fosi Audio recommends a 5V USB adapter of at least 2 amps. My own usage confirmed that the Merak requires a power block of 2 amps or more to perform optimally. It would have been nice if a power supply had been included, but I suspect most of us have suitable power supplies on hand.
While the front panel control buttons on the unit are reasonably accessible, I found that using the included remote control is a much more ergonomically-comfortable and convenient way to control the Merak. The remote control allows the user to activate all of the functions on the Merak as well as select the individual tracks on a CD.
I tested the Merak primarily with my Eve Audio SC203 speakers, which are premium stereo desktop speaker/monitors. I connected the Merak player to the Eve Audio speakers using a stereo mini-to-RCA adapter cable from the Merak’s Line Output jack.
I started out with the CD “Interplay” by the John Stein Trio (guitar, bass and drums). I chose this CD because it is exceptionally well-recorded and I wanted to see how the Merak would handle it. I inserted the CD in the unit and the CD automatically started to play. I was immediately struck by the clarity, depth and detail of the sound the Merak player reproduced. I heard nuances in the music I had never noticed before…the delicate shimmer of the cymbals and brushes on the drums, the airiness of the plucked notes of the archtop guitar, the authoritative, woody presence of the acoustic bass and the overall intimacy of the performance. It was a match made in heaven!
Because the Merak CD player has an optical output, it can be used as a CD transport when connected to an external DAC. Using the same recording, I decided to bypass the Merak’s DAC and try the Eve Audio speaker’s DAC by connecting the two components with an optical cable. Though the sound was good, I preferred the sound of the Merak’s own internal CS43131 DAC.
I tested the Merak CD player with regular CDs, HDCDs, CD-Rs and even commercially encoded MP3 CDs. The Merak was able to play them all without a problem. I was pleasantly surprised by how easily the Merak directly played the MP3 encoded discs.
When listening to music with headphones connected to the Merak’s HP jack, the sound quality is adequate, but the Merak really comes into its own when connected to a quality set of stereo speakers.
The Merak offers the ability to rip CDs directly onto a flash drive when connected to the USB port on the back. I tried out this feature. I initially experienced a little difficulty getting the Merak to rip the whole CD (as opposed to just the first track). Maybe I mis-read the manual, but it seems Fosi could have made this process a little more intuitive. In any case, once the process was underway, the Merak ripped the entire test CD flawlessly.
Final Thoughts
Avid music collectors like myself were hoping audio manufacturers would invest in making affordable, high-quality CD players again. Fosi Audio’s Merak is just the kind of player I was looking for. I found the device easy to use, the sound quality to be excellent, the many flexible options useful, the styling attractive and the price affordable at $139.99 usd.
Would I change anything about the Merak? Well, not much. As I stated earlier, I wish it came with a power adapter. The illuminated display, though legible, would be easier to read if it were slightly bigger. It would also have been nice if the Merak had included RCA out jacks so that high-quality interconnects could be used. But these are all minor quibbles.
Audio enthusiasts familiar with Fosi Audio’s other high-quality Hi-Fi products were anxiously anticipating the release of their first CD player. The Merak proves that it was well worth the
wait.
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