Denafrips DAC owners - how did ownership compare with the hype?
- Thread starter Sibbers
- Start date
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
I borrowed a Pontus 2, wasn't impressed to be honest, a nice listen but a bit overhyped, but at the time I was comparing it with a more expensive R2R unit in the form of an Aqua La Voce S3 that I was able to buy at near enough the same price as the Pontus... the Aqua won and was a world apart from the Pontus.
Suffice to say, R2R dacs are where real music reproduction lays, so if you're coming from an OS Dac around the same price point as the Pontus, I am sure you will love it! or probably any other R2R units like Aqua or Metrum etc.
I don't find R2R's to sound 'tube' like, but they sound natural. Aqua do have the La Scala which is a tube R2R dac, but it's pricey.
Buy direct from Denafrips/Vinshine and choose the 'EU shipped option', and it'll come landed with no extra fees to pay - much cheaper than buying in the UK.
Suffice to say, R2R dacs are where real music reproduction lays, so if you're coming from an OS Dac around the same price point as the Pontus, I am sure you will love it! or probably any other R2R units like Aqua or Metrum etc.
I don't find R2R's to sound 'tube' like, but they sound natural. Aqua do have the La Scala which is a tube R2R dac, but it's pricey.
Buy direct from Denafrips/Vinshine and choose the 'EU shipped option', and it'll come landed with no extra fees to pay - much cheaper than buying in the UK.
Sibbers
Earthling
Ok cool, thanks this is interesting stuff. I worry about following hype trains, but there’s no denying I’d like to reduce the ‘digital sound’ a bit if I can.
Most DACs do sound pretty similar, but this R2R thing is new on me and sure is appealing! I just worry I might spend a load and decide it’s not that different.
Should I be considering other R2R DACs that offer better value??
Most DACs do sound pretty similar, but this R2R thing is new on me and sure is appealing! I just worry I might spend a load and decide it’s not that different.
Should I be considering other R2R DACs that offer better value??
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
I think that once you've tried R2R you don't go back (if you want real music reproduction you can listen to for hours).
The Denafrips stuff is good for the price if bought direct, but also check out Aqua, Metrum, GD Audio etc. Elite Audio have a no quibble returns so you can try at home and do some great prices on ex display Metrum and Aqua.
All depends on your budget really, but if you just want to see if an R2R is for you, then a used Ares would be a good start or maybe a used La Voce S2 - it is R2R but not strictly a full ladder dac as its chip based (unlike the newer S3), but still sounds bliss.
AshM750
pfm Member
The only thing that put me off with the Denafrips Ares was according to some people there is a significant delay in audio, i.e lip sync delay with TV as I run my system through it. I’m waiting for an SMSL M400 to turn up but I’m wondering now if the other R2R brands have this delay?
DimitryZ
pfm Member
I own Musician Pegasus and like it quite a bit.
edo
Retired Zymurgist
I have a Venus II. It is a nice upgrade over the DAC in my Oppo 205. However it's had a somewhat annoying problem with a buffer over run from day one. It manifests itself as a very subtle tic or hi-cup every now and then. It's not unique to my unit and seems to be caused by a clock incompatibility. Many are reporting it on the Hoffman Forum but some with higher end transports don't have the problem. They don't yet have a fix. It was supposed to be addressed in a firmware update by the end of September. A Windows computer is required for firmware updates - which sucks for this Mac user.
Musicraft
Trade: Musicraft
Fwiw, a recent addition on Soundstage Network Denafrips Ares II and Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC’s -
https://www.soundstageaccess.com/in...denafrips-ares-ii-digital-to-analog-converter
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/inde...s-terminator-plus-digital-to-analog-converter
And first review of the Denafrips Terminator II DAC -
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/denafrips-terminator-ii-review-and-comparison-r1036/
https://www.soundstageaccess.com/in...denafrips-ares-ii-digital-to-analog-converter
https://www.soundstagehifi.com/inde...s-terminator-plus-digital-to-analog-converter
And first review of the Denafrips Terminator II DAC -
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/denafrips-terminator-ii-review-and-comparison-r1036/
simon g
Older, wiser but no longer retired
Why not try an Audio Note DAC? That would be a proper tube DAC, rather than 'tube like' (whatever that's meant to be)
For me, these Denafrips DACs represent a substantial risk. They are definitely 'du jour' but I've seen that hype before; flare brightly and die. Asking those who bought if they regret the sale will mostly elicit a negative response, whether it's a DAC or anything else. There's also the herd mentality aspect; many buy just to be 'part' of something (but they'd never admit that)
On top of all that and a significant risk; what do you do if the unit goes wrong? Return to China presumably? All those capacitors; plenty to fail there. Component quality is also a concern; spec drift and component variability is a common problem with Chinese kit.
A comment above about real music reproduction lays with R2R DACs is clearly nonsense. The music reproduction from my system is sublime; not an R2R ladder in sight. What about all the other non R2R based systems out there? Are they all not producing real music? Tosh of the first order; pure hyperbole.
DimitryZ
pfm Member
I owned an Audionote DAC.
It had an old Phillips DAC chip (R2R, I think) followed by a standard tube output stage, that added a bit of second harmonic distortion.
It sounded nice on all recordings, in the same way. I don't mi ss it at all.
And let's stop with "China-made" crypto-racist fearmongering, please. If Chinese factories can make reliable cellphones, they can certainly make excellent hifi components - the latter are far easier.
Only semi on topic, but as you appear to swap DACs more than just about anyone else on here(?!), I thought I should perhaps follow your recommendation and try the Chinese-made Gustard X16 and have found it to be a truly remarkable piece of kit - thank you! Crisp, clean and musical beyond what I had previously thought possible at such a reasonable price. However, the fact that it is so good does make me wonder how good its big brother the X26 must be. Have you any experience of that model, or do you think it is the new chip that makes the X16 so good? Is the Musician Pegasus better or just different?
Phillip
DimitryZ
pfm Member
Honestly, just different. Both excellent, if you are going to choose just one DAC.
At the price, X16 wins.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
You've clearly not dealt with Chinese factories. Chi-Fi will often suffer the same 'swap out' that many industries do in the Chinese factories, hells even Samsung suffered this once with batteries I believe. If you don't know what this is, I suggest you learn before you comment with your usual 'the world is racist because I say so' rhetoric you bring in to every thread that even mentions Chinese based manufacturing, which you will essentially derail and ruin because of your own distorted belief structure.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
The Gustard X16 is a pretty souless OS DAC in my opinion, I got rid of that quite quickly. So you may find a R2R better than that, I certainly did. But one thing I will say is that budget R2R's arent that good. You need to spend some money, but your hearing, listening and music will definitely welcome it.
