Fido Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 1 hour ago, dubai2000 said: Of course I am late to the party, but since I bought a second-hand Ares I my digital quest is (almost) over - it is cerainly the least digital sounding digital source that I have owned so far - so why "almost"? Because the Ares simply tempts to upgrade - so one more "step up the ladder" it is going to be (hopefully soon) - thus the Pontus should be my next audio purchase. I love my Pontus - Hope you get yours soon and enjoy the music 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 17 hours ago, rplace said: Not being able to demo has me tempted to get a sub ~$1,000 Schiit or similar, but I'd really like for once in my life to buy once and be done. I'm growing tired of buy, try, sell, repeat. Not a bad word that I can find for Denafrips. Holo has lots of praise on both the reviews and measurements. Seems like a lot of time, those two camps are at odds. Currently I have a Oppo-203, RPi 4 with HiFiBerry DAC and a PecanPi Streamer. All are nice, but my biggest gripe is the flat sound stage. Very one dimensional. Good Stereo imaging left to right from all, but no height or depth like my Turn Table. I believe that Schiit has a 15 day return policy. It won't take you that long to hear the difference in what you're currently using. At the SWAG, we subbed my Bifrost in as a substitute for for the dac in Daves raspberry Pi and then again for the internal dac in Petes Sony CD player. Everyone could hear the difference in both instances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 1 hour ago, CECAA850 said: I believe that Schiit has a 15 day return policy. Yes they do. That is why I mentioned them specifically. I have a Freya + pre. Bought it with every intention of sending it back in 15 days...out the restocking fee and shipping, but I have it for a while now and don't plan to replace it. I really like everything about it. If you watch the video on first page SteveG compares it to the Bifrost. From all I can tease out of reading generalizations online I think a R2R DAC of some sort is where I will land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 9 minutes ago, rplace said: . If you watch the video on first page SteveG compares it to the Bifrost. Interesting, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted November 1, 2020 Share Posted November 1, 2020 Sometimes occasions turn up a lot faster than expected - found myself a brand new Pontus - pre-owned but never used - and I am totally floored. Certainly the best digital source I have heard so far. The first impressions: the differences to the smaller Ares (first model) - similar tonalty but larger presentation of everything, more space between instruments/performers and a bass to die for - punchy, deep, tuneful - guys, I am a very happy camper indeed - and recommend those Denafrips DACs (even the Ares) most highly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 6 hours ago, dubai2000 said: Sometimes occasions turn up a lot faster than expected - found myself a brand new Pontus - pre-owned but never used - and I am totally floored. Certainly the best digital source I have heard so far. The first impressions: the differences to the smaller Ares (first model) - similar tonalty but larger presentation of everything, more space between instruments/performers and a bass to die for - punchy, deep, tuneful - guys, I am a very happy camper indeed - and recommend those Denafrips DACs (even the Ares) most highly! My impressions exactly! Congrats on your Pontus DAC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai2000 Posted November 2, 2020 Share Posted November 2, 2020 Thx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VDS Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 Looking for a DAC upgrade. I currently have Denafrips Ares2. Wondering if anybody has moved from Ares to Venus/ Terminator? How impactful was the difference? Anybody have experience with Holo Audio or MHDT? looking for a Dac that will give greater separation of instruments in complex music. Feel like Mytek or Benchmark would give separation, but may be too “sharp” for horn speakers. pairing with XA 25 Pass Labs thanks for any observations, Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pg99 Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 10/28/2020 at 8:34 AM, Fido said: I have the Denefrips Pontus and it sounds fantastic. I play my Blueos Node 2i thru it usually running Tidal and to my ears with my system I think it sounds fantastic. Very close to listening to Vinyl as less glare and less digital sounding to my ears than the Dac in the Node 2i or the old sigma Dac chipped I used to run. Your experience may vary. Hello Fido, I'm interested to know your HIfi setup, assume you are also a Klipsch speaker owner. For me, I also have Denafrips Pontus and BlueOS Node 2i, my current speaker is Harbeth SH5+ driven by Exposore 3010s2 pre and monoblocks. I'm now interested to upgrade my speaker to Klipsch Cornwall IV, based on some very favorite reviews on internet about Klipsch's "live" listening experience. My current system did not give me the live experience yet when listening to orchestra works, it produces very nice vocal and chamber music though. I'm not sure if any of my current devices also need to be "upgraded" to match with Cornwall IV. Thank you, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 8 hours ago, pg99 said: Hello Fido, I'm interested to know your HIfi setup, assume you are also a Klipsch speaker owner. For me, I also have Denafrips Pontus and BlueOS Node 2i, my current speaker is Harbeth SH5+ driven by Exposore 3010s2 pre and monoblocks. I'm now interested to upgrade my speaker to Klipsch Cornwall IV, based on some very favorite reviews on internet about Klipsch's "live" listening experience. My current system did not give me the live experience yet when listening to orchestra works, it produces very nice vocal and chamber music though. I'm not sure if any of my current devices also need to be "upgraded" to match with Cornwall IV. Thank you, I have my fathers vintage Forte 1 speakers, Crites recapped and I added Dave A,s LMAHL Tweeters. I also use the Node2i and play it all thru my Primaluna EVO 400 and I have never heard any of my friends audio systems sound nearly as live sounding or good as this system sounds now. If I could fit Corwalls in my space I would probably opt for those but I am very happy with my system as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 9 hours ago, pg99 said: Hello, For me, I also have Denafrips Pontus and BlueOS Node 2i, my current speaker is Harbeth SH5+ driven by Exposore 3010s2 pre and monoblocks. I'm now interested to upgrade my speaker to Klipsch Cornwall IV.... I'm not sure if any of my current devices also need to be "upgraded" to match with Cornwall IV. Thank you, you are fine with what you have currently that drove the Harbeth... make one change at a time and not multiple changes. that amp is more than you need, but you already have it so give it a try when you finally purchase the CWIV's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pg99 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 On 1/24/2021 at 10:24 PM, Fido said: I have my fathers vintage Forte 1 speakers, Crites recapped and I added Dave A,s LMAHL Tweeters. I also use the Node2i and play it all thru my Primaluna EVO 400 and I have never heard any of my friends audio systems sound nearly as live sounding or good as this system sounds now. If I could fit Corwalls in my space I would probably opt for those but I am very happy with my system as is. Thank you for your reply, Fido. Have a nice weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pg99 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 On 1/24/2021 at 11:12 PM, Schu said: you are fine with what you have currently that drove the Harbeth... make one change at a time and not multiple changes. that amp is more than you need, but you already have it so give it a try when you finally purchase the CWIV's. Hello Schu, Thank you for your feedback! I listen to my system in a 60 square meter living room (about 700 square feet?), so I want to have a stronger amp to drive the Harbeth, as I heard it needs strong power to sing. Besides my current system, maybe the 15" driver in CWIV will provide the dynamics I would like to get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus89 Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 I love my Ares II. Transformed my digital library. I haven't listened through this many albums from start to finish in a long time. Glad to finally read some Ares II vs Pontus comparisons. I'm enjoying my Ares II, but certainly will consider moving up the Denafrips ladder if i see any come up used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtice Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 I have an Aries II that I've been listening to for only 10 days. It's amazing. I don't know how much better the more expensive versions could even be. I feel like I made a 30 percent jump from the Wolfson DAC in my CD player. I'd consider the Pontus, but could it be THAT much better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 52 minutes ago, jtice said: I have an Aries II that I've been listening to for only 10 days. It's amazing. I don't know how much better the more expensive versions could even be. I feel like I made a 30 percent jump from the Wolfson DAC in my CD player. I'd consider the Pontus, but could it be THAT much better? The Denefrips Pontus sounds amazing - great detail and wide soundstage while not sounding at all Digital. I listen to hundreds of hours of music now and it's much easier without having to clean my vinyl and play a side at a time. I still love my records but the amount of music I have at my fingertips at all times that sound so great is mind blowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 2 hours ago, jtice said: I have an Aries II that I've been listening to for only 10 days. It's amazing.... I feel like I made a 30 percent jump from the Wolfson DAC in my CD player... At least that much (probably more) than a integrated Wolfson Chipset. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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