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Anyone using a DDC with their Dac


Fido

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  • 2 months later...

Nice system with the Schiit Freya + preamp. I switched from an Audio Research LS7 single ended tube preamp to a Schiit Freya + driving a Pass DIY Aleph J Class A amp I built. This is a very musical combination. Since purchasing a Denafrips Pontus II DAC and running balanced connections throughout my system, I rarely spin vinyl anymore. I have only listened to the Pontus II in NOS mode, but plan to try OS mode soon. I really need to take time to listen to gear for an extended time before I decide if I like it or not. Well, I love the Pontus II. It just reproduces digital in a way I never thought was possible. I am now a believer in the R-2R DAC technology, especially in the way that Denafrips has implemented it. The Pontus II is built like a tank. 
 

I can appreciate the many comments made on the use of a DDC. I have my eyes on a Denafrips Iris DDC. I will need to research the best I2S cable option. Right now, I use a Jenving Supra USB 2.0 cable between my Raspberry Pi 4 running Volumio 3 and the Pontus II, and I am astounded at what I hear. The Jenving USB 2.0 cable is USB-certified and has the 90 ohm impedance that digital audio guru Gordon Rankin claims is essential to proper digital music transfer via the USB bus. Jenving cables are manufactured in Sweden and are engineered for performance and measure well. 
 

Anyway, I appreciate what folks are posting on this forum thread and plan to purchase an Iris soon. 

 

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  • 2 months later...

And almost 3 months later:

So, I am a big fan of low jitter digital chains for optimal sound quality. My vintage setup is an Audio Alchemy DTI 2.0>I2S> Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0 DAC. The DTI 2.0 is comparable to a DDC and the DDE 3.0 is a multi bit R2R DAC.

As I have been updating my system, I have a Schiit Gungnir DAC on order that has the DDC built in (i.e. their Adapticlock system). The Yggdrasil also has this system.

 

 

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  • 2 months later...
On 12/7/2021 at 6:13 AM, Shakeydeal said:

I am following this thread with interest. I have had a Pontus II for about two weeks now and I'm extremely happy with it. Alvin seems to think that since I'm using the balanced output of a Lumin streamer into the Pontus that I might not benefit very much from a DDC. I was considering that my next upgrade would be a Hermes or a Venus II. Still not sure which way I'll go, but I'm content to just live with the Pontus right now.

 

What mode do you Denafrips users prefer? NOS or OS?

 

Shakey

What Lumin streamer do you have? I am thinking maybe just get a good streamer instead of the DD too.

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I have had the Pontus ii now for 2 or 3 weeks, and in the beginning i really noticed a few things I liked that were different than my Marantz ESS and my old Yamaha ESS chips in the AVPs. I have noticed that the sound (up to today) has changed noticeably daily...sometimes part will be an improvement and another part is worse. I did not believe that the sound would be changing after Denafrips did their 100hr burn ins, but it sure does. I listen every night to the same tracks to see if their is a change and I leave the Pontus plugged in and on 24/7. Last night everything sounded better than I had expected! 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Glad to hear you are pleased with your Denafrips Pontus II DAC. I love mine, and I really have not felt a need to invest in a DDC. Digital music is more enjoyable and convenient to access using my Raspberry Pi 4 running Volumio 3. I mainly listen to ripped CDs, but will use Tidal on occasion to listen to music I do not already own.  

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On 12/18/2021 at 11:34 AM, rplace said:

... I think I'm getting to the point where the format matters less and less and it is simply which version/mastering is best.

 

I agree with the excerpted quote above.  As I get older, the quality of the music is paramount, followed by the quality of the recording, and then followed by the quality of the equipment.  Excellent music from a clock radio is more enjoyable than crappy music and/or a bad recording played through a SOTA system.

YMMV

 

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20 minutes ago, DizRotus said:

 

 

I agree with the excerpted quote above.  As I get older, the quality of the music is paramount, followed by the quality of the recording, and then followed by the quality of the equipment.  Excellent music from a clock radio is more enjoyable than crappy music and/or a bad recording played through a SOTA system.

YMMV

 

 

I've always been a "gear guy" no matter if A/V equipment, bicycles, cars, guitars, power tools, etc. As I get older (hopefully wiser) I'm trying to put that behind me and get to an enjoyment state of being. When I think of the 100s, maybe thousands of hours spent on reading, searching, buying, storing and sorting just tubes that might make a "difference" it boggles my mind. I should have been listening to more music. Make that more GOOD music. One of my latest purchases was a Lyngdorf Tdai 1120. It is so simple and so fantastic sounding. If I were starting all over, knowing what I know now I'd stop right there and focus on finding the definitive version of every recording I care about not the hardware.

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