To DDC or not to DDC. That is the question.

A DDC can often provide meaningful improvements, but there are lotsa variables so it’s one of those things worth trying if you can arrange a demo or buy used and resell for little/no loss if it doesn’t work out.  

@soix Well you pretty much nailed my modus operandi...Used at little to no loss on resale. 

Yeah, depending on the output of your streamer, which input is optimized for your DAC, interconnects, and then the black magic of the audio Gods that the ASR crowd likes to dismiss because it’s not measured but won’t subjugate themselves to actually use their ears to be the final arbiter — it’s an unknown/black art until you actually hear for yourself.  Just my opinion, but IME a DDC can be a hugely cost-effective upgrade if it works in your situation but no way to know til you try.  Best of luck man. 

Your Merason DAC 1 uses the Amanero Combo 384 USB module, which is considered a high-level, audiophile-grade, asynchronous USB interface that is highly regarded in the high-end audio industry, and is commonly used as a premium OEM component in high-end DACs for its exceptional jitter performance and support for high-resolution formats. Therefore, from a sound quality standpoint, as long as your digital front-end server/streamer has a good quality USB output, there would be no reason to add a DDC, which would result in your needing to switch to the AES or S/PDIF input.  The only reason I can think of for you to consider using another input (other than USB) would be that the AES input might sound slightly more dynamic.

I own the Merason DAC 1 Mk II and I use a DDC only to facilitate having a second DAC in my main system, and only since I cannot find a suitable USB hub that works with my desired streamer.  However, I believe I will soon be going back to the USB inputs on both DACs, even though switching between the two DACs will become more difficult.

I strongly suggest your money would be better spent by upgrading your DAC to the DAC 1 MkII or, better yet, to the DAC 2.

Interesting perspective @Mitch2 and very valuable seeing as you are a Merason owner. I appreciate the tech talk too. I will have to look into the upgrade....