Does anyone in the North of England or Wales have a Denafrips Terminator I can listen to please?

[MarkW]

The thing is it might be a good product, all the gazillion caps may be genuine, tested, matched and robustly mounted, the crystek clocks - I have em in my diy dac btw - may be correctly implemented (i don't recall the numbers but "femto" is just bs, these are specced in "picoseconds" because the inaccuracy is a variable across a range of time), and it may have the sound quality you have convinced yourself it will provide (however you determine that).

But, lets be generous for a moment and allow that all those caps are there not just to draw in the unwary buyer but they all make a contribution to the output: if one fails (statistically likely) how will you know? Who's going to fault find? The second most likely outcome is that caps will fail over time and the unit will drift further out of spec and you won't even notice as the sound degenerates.

The most likely outcome is that caps will fail and you won't notice because the design is neither dependent on them or critical enough for it to make a difference, so we are back to the question of why is it designed like that. It is entirely possible to make great performing voltage supplies which are reliable and serviceable with a small component count.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Btw Jim, I think Audiojoy/Luke had one of these. Might be worth dropping him a pm for his thoughts.

Hi LordMortock
Yes, I already did that and had a very useful and interesting conversation with Audiojoy about the DAC.
thanks
Jim

 

[lordmortlock]

To be clear, Graham’s products are world class.

However, I have also heard/owned other world class audio products manufactured in Japan, Austria, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, Poland, the Ukraine and, dare I say it, China.

I contest that Graham’s (constantly repeated) view that audio electronic manufacture and design from other countries is sub standard is outmoded, inaccurate and could possibly be construed as xenophobic. Whilst I’m sure the former isn’t the case it would easier to be certain of that if the rhetoric was dialled down a bit.

 

[drummerman]

To the OP ... sorry, cant help with the 'Terminator' but I have a Hifimediy Sabre Dac you are welcome to borrow.

It may only cost 60 quid and is 1/100th of the size but probably sounds similar.

 

[GT]

To be clear, Graham’s products are world class.

However, I have also heard/owned other world class audio products manufactured in Japan, Austria, Italy, the USA, Switzerland, Poland, the Ukraine and, dare I say it, China.

I contest that Graham’s (constantly repeated) view that audio electronic manufacture and design from other countries is sub standard is outmoded, inaccurate and could possibly be construed as xenophobic. Whilst I’m sure the former isn’t the case it would easier to be certain of that if the rhetoric was dialled down a bit.

I assume you weren't aware of my UK distribution company (G T Audio) established back in 1990 where we have imported and represented over 30 product brands from France, Belgium, Austria, Australia, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Lithuania, USA and Japan?

 

[lordmortlock]

I am actually, and that’s why I’m so confused by your stance!

 

[S-Man]

This site really is full of naysayers, braggarts, trolls and clever dicks.

I would say that this site is approximately 3/4 full, but not actually full of these types (S-Man in clever dick mode)

 

[JimmyB]

Wow, poor guy comes and asks a simple question and gets roundly dumped on....

 

[JimmyB]

Dynamic
Exquisite
Natural
Attractive
Fidelity
Refined
Intoxicating
Pure
Sophisticated

.....alright, think I may be doing it now too....

 

[GT]

I am actually, and that why I’m so confused by your stance!

So it isn't right to point out to someone considering to buy a product (where ever it is made) that it doesn't appear to have any CE certification or markings and there is no address or contact information from the manufacturer's website? CE certification is a requirement (primarily for safety) for the protection of individuals within the EU.

 

[JimmyB]

So it isn't right to point out to someone considering to buy a product (where ever it is made) that it doesn't appear to have any CE certification or markings and there is no address or contact information from the manufacturer's website? CE certification is a requirement (primarily for safety) for the protection of individuals within the EU.

No you're quite right to do that but the whole tone of the thread went downhill quite quickly. You're perfectly right in that the whole thing looks like the worst piece of design and unless those banks fo caps are there to give NASA levels of redundancy then WTF!? but at the same time, it's his hobby and money and all he wants to do is have a listen to one.

 

[GT]

it's his hobby and money and all he wants to do is have a listen to one.

Yes, you are right.

 

[Tony L]

<moderating>

Some ad hominem removed, as will be the poster should it continue.

 

[lordmortlock]

So it isn't right to point out to someone considering to buy a product (where ever it is made) that it doesn't appear to have any CE certification or markings and there is no address or contact information from the manufacturer's website? CE certification is a requirement (primarily for safety) for the protection of individuals within the EU.

It was more the negativity towards repair in Italy, and the COMPLETELY unconnected pic re false components, along with previous posts on other threads that prompted my post.

 

[booja30]

Yes, I already did that and had a very useful and interesting conversation with Audiojoy about the DAC.

What did you find out?

 

[YNWOAN]

I thought the (increasingly common) use of banks of small value electrolytic caps, instead of few large value caps, was to keep ESR values low - is that not the case?

 

[S-Man]

Yes that's the idea. Of course all that track inductance (depending on the layout) might not help with low impedance across a range of frequencies.
As Martin said, it's a sledgehammer to crack and nut and it easy to miss the nut wih such a brute-force approach.
It depends on the failure mode and redundancy but in general the more parts inside the box, the lower the MTBF of the unit!

 

[Cereal Killer]

Just for the record, I do believe in supporting homegrown products and industry but we don’t have to justify superiority by slagging the rest of the world off with the very common condescending ‘British is best’ attitude. The rest of the world will happily continue without the UK. Brexit is a perfect example of the self righteous bleating on like lambs to the slaughter ....

 

[SteveG]

I'm not against the idea of buying components from other parts of the world (a fair amount of my current kit will have been manufactured outside the UK), however not having a UK support capability does make me a little nervous - especially if it was an expensive component. I've had a Chinese made CD player with a valve output stage that seemed well made, sounded great but blew up when it was a few years old. With no access to a local servicing & repair capability, and with the repairers I've approached being unwilling to touch it due to issues with access to diagrams etc. then effectively it's now just expensive landfill.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Where do you think all the semiconductors, resistors, silicon components, solder, etc etc were manufactured that makes these ‘UK supported’ products?

Even stating ‘made in England’ is factually incorrect if you consider the above sentence, assembled in .... would be a better term.