Meitner MA3i DAC Review

 

 

yyzsantabarbara

5,398 posts

02-16-2026 at 01:05pm 

Are you saying a longer Ethernet cable is better to keep the switch further out?
 

yes that is correct. Eliminate EMI emitted by the switch. 
 

as to Ethernet cables…I use Audience Hidden Treasure into Meitner and it’s a CAT7 cable. 

“BTW - the linked review is for the MA3 not the MA3i”

@yyzsantabarbara - Good catch. I read the whole thing and missed that.

Here is another option to convert from fibre to Ethernet. I used to own v1 of this thing but traded it for something.

EtherREGEN (original, "Gen1") – UpTone Audio

   The Meinter MA3i has changed my system over the last few months, in the end now I am so happy and has actually sorta paid for itself. After researching the Meitner countless hours involved one night around 9 pm I pulled the trigger on a MA3 that  was sent back for the MA3i upgrade for 9k from a dealer close to me thinking to myself what did I do lol..looking at my system then two dacs Denafrips Venus, a dac from Denmark the NewOntech dac07 both different and sound good with a Magna Hifi Mano ultra mk3 farad streamer. 
   I get the Meitner and all I get is a error on the front screen oh no, on the phone I go and my dealer Jeff at Metafi Audio was so great, in a second I was sending it back to his main distributor with a shipping label they emailed me and in just a few days I get a new MA3i for the 9k not a MA3 that was sent back, I checked with Meitner to make sure. For a second my mind said forget this and give me my money back so glad I hung in there this is a terrific dac!! 
   At this time I had the Venus, NewOntech dacs going into the Pass Labs preamp, Pass XA-25 amp, First Watt Sit-4 amp Volti Audio Lucera speakers and a bunch of other stuff, basically a cluster of cables,and gear  everywhere. So I put the Meitner in there with the other dacs, back and forth the Meitner is way better, way better…looking at all this stuff one day, dang what a mess…took the preamp out and hooked the Meitner up to the amp, XA-25, wow even better, back and forth in and out for a month in the end what I have is the Meitner MA3i, Pass Labs XA-25 or the First Watt Sit-4 Volti Audio Lucera speakers….sold all that other gear which more then paid for the Meitner. I have decided to keep the Pass Labs XA-25 and the last thing to sell is the Sit-4 amp. The XA-25 handles the 15 inch woofer on the Lucera a tad better then the Sit-4…now I look at my system no cables or power cords everywhere, clean and sounds amazing….something about this set-up it sounds so sweet, I am 72 heard a lot of gear…dam sounds so good 

now Meinter needs to make us a amplifier to match the MA3i …dac, preamp, amp all matching…

@charles007100 that’s the best outcome! Enjoy this excellent DAC!