Great review sir! The Ares II was my last ditch effort, after multiple, make my ears bleed chip DACs... I wish I would have simply bought the Pontus II to start. The Ares II is a game changer, especially if you suffer from hearing fatigue listening to your system. I was so impressed, I bought the Denafrips Iris DDC, their Hades pre and Thallo amp, paired up with the KLH Model 5 speakers. Kick ass sound!
Your 14 minute mark description of the ares 2, really hit the spot for me. Does pairing this to a cool and analytical amp like the buchardt i150 bring me that middle ground between tube and solid state sound that I'm aiming for? :)
I think it will, it was a game changer for me. I was looking for that 1970's sound I grew up with, the Ares II, and eventually going to the Denafrips Iris DDC, Hades pre and Thallo amp got me there. Listening to it right now on the KLH Model 5's... A little Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil... The Ares II is very analog sounding, with your pairing, I had the Schiit Freya S, still have it, and it sounded fantastic. There is no digital signature with the Ares II.
My Ares II has reinvigorated my love of music like you described the music is more alive and 3 dimensional, cymbals sound more real, and acoustic music is so much fun to listen to. I avoid MQA, a lossy compression scam with zero data to confirm its creator's claims, just another scam to charge for the music we already own, who needs a new lossy format?
Yup! I actually downgraded my Tidal membership to the middle tier just because I haven't been able to hear any difference between MQA and their hifi tier. If I wanted maximum quality I would be going with full lossless at that point. Great to hear of your experience! I'm curious if you liked NOS or OS and Slow or Sharp!
Reinvigorated my listening pleasure too... I quit listening to my last system, ear fatigue, various DACs, Schiit, Cambridge, etc... My last DAC was the Schiit Gungnir... The Ares II allows me to now sit and simply enjoy the music, and it is a truly magical experience, I am in the studio or the audience now. No ear fatigue, just blissful nonstop eargasms... ;-) I loved the Ares II so much, I bought the Denafrips Iris DDC, their Hades pre and Thallo amp... I built it all around the KLH Model 5 speakers. Audio Nirvana... Pontus II is next, then I am done.
I had my eye on one of these. But then another reviewer reviewed the SMSL M500 mk2. And said that was now going to be his main DAC instead of the Aries 2. The SMSL is a few hundred £s cheaper. But I’m thinking of getting the Cambridge CXNv2 as it’s highly rated, as I need a proper streamer and they say the DAC in it is really good!
Love to know what you think about amp/dacs specifically for gaming. I use a Sennheiser GSX 1000 but I want to know what else is out there. I know the Schiit stuff is supposed to be good. Any others?
Yep, that's the comparison to see. Ares II seems to be slightly better musically but Schiit is better as a PC DAC because it doesn't have the 40ms-200ms delays of the Ares.
@@djz2308 Yeah... I've read some comments in audio forums about the lag/latency when watching movies or gaming. And I would want to hook a Denafrips DAC up with the TV via optical which is what I have the Bifrost 2 hooked up to now with no lag whatsoever. The lag really is a deal breaker unless you are 100% using a Denafrips DAC for music. Shame really
@@JTB-- I have my Ares II connected to my Sony Bravia via optical, no issues watching movies. The only time I see lip synch issues is when using AirPlay to send to my Roku Ultra. When streaming directly from the Roku, Amazon, Roku Channel, etc.. I experience no lag whatsoever using the Ares II.
Great Video ! Have you tested the Denafrips Ares II R2R DAC with linux ? Because i am considering the dac but iam a linux user so i dont know if it works :)
A little late to this review, but really enjoyed it. Have you had a chance to pair the Ares II with your Vincent SV500. I own the Vincent and have been considering the Ares II for awhile now. Thank you!
Considering this dac to run from my iMac running Roon then into a Purifi amp as a desktop system into some little Harbeth speakers. My question is how does everyone who is running from a computer into the dac adjust volume without a volume know or preamp? Does using the volume adjustment on the computer hamper the sound quality?
I ordered the updated Ares DAC a couple days ago and found your review today. Confirmed: I'm buying the right DAC for my particular tastes in music reproduction. Thanks for your simple explanation of the differences between R2R and delta-sigma DACs.
Hello GadgetryTech! Would you be open to a Private Message? I have the Denafrips Ares II and I'm having som major operational problems. I'm pretty sure it's something I'm doing or NOT doing. But I found your mode selection discussion to be one of the best, so I feel like you may know. Thanks...
Thx great video...I have Ares ii, peachtree Nova 300, Blusound node and Tekton Pendragon speakers. Sounds great. I dont know much about systems cause I've only started listening again for about a year. Understanding things like sample rates, files, etc comes slow to me. I do have a couple questions. 1st would the denafrips iris compliment the ares ii or instead of going that direction would you just upgrade to the Pontus. Not saying I'd make a change but maybe someday. Or would the iris ddc not do much to improve sound in your opinion with the ares. 2nd do you recommend any headphones under 2000.00 Thx
I can help you there... I have the Ares II and Iris DDC, I wish I would have simply bought the Pontus II right out of the gate. Now, the Iris DDC, I spoke to Alvin at Vinshine Audio about this. He told me the Iris will not really do anything major with the Ares II. He told me the Iris is better suited with the Pontus II. Myself, when I purchase the Pontus II, I think I will pick up the Hermes DDC, the next one up from the Iris for the connections. That will be it for me, then I am done. I will have a nearly 100% Denafrips system, I already own the Ares II, Iris DDC, Hades preamp and Thallo amplifier. . I built everything around the KLH Model 5 speakers I own. Audio Nirvana. ;-)
I have to agree, I have the zero gain Class A Hades preamp, along with the Class A/B Thallo, the sound is incredible. The Class A Hades is going to be hard to beat at its price point.
Honestly, I think anything of decent quality will sound fine. The Ares II is a class above anything I think you can purchase in a chip DAC up to say $2000. I pulled my Schiit Gungnir in about two seconds of hearing the Ares II. I was running the Schiit Freya S and the Emotiva first Gen XPA-2 with the KLH Model 5 speakers. It blew me away, and I am not looking back. Since upgraded to the Denafrips Iris DDC, Hades pre and Thallo amp.
You have never dealt with Vinshine then. Alvin is nothing but professional, as is his team. I have bought multiple pieces through Vinshine, via credit card and wire transfer direct from my bank. Their communication is nothing but stellar, from Annie in shipping to Vincent in technical support. I wish more companies were run like Vinshine Audio. The shipping is extremely fast, less than a week, and always delivered in double boxed and well padded/protected packaging here to Michigan.
Alvin is a delight to deal with! He emailed several times to ensure I knew the status of the delivery. And right after delivery he emailed to confirm delivery and satisfaction with the product! What other companies do that on such a personal basis? None! This is an amazing product for the money, and all the great reviews are warranted!
It was smooth sail dealing with Vinshine, Denafrips' authorized distributor based in Singapore. If we want trial period and free returns we may likely have to pay double the US$840 retail price for the Ares II. Every "benefit" enjoyed by the consumer is unavoidably cost into the sale price. Nothing is free in this world.
