Denafrips Pontus II R2R DAC Review

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Denafrips Pontus II R2R DAC Rating
Price: $2000 (Nov, 2022) amzn.to/3GrqEhd
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⅞
Pros: Stereo Image, Dynamic Balance, High End Accurate Sound.
Cons: Only Three Legs on Weighty DAC.
Sound Stage: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Stereo Image: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Highs: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½
Midrange: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ¾
Bass: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Build Quality: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½
Price: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Demo Music by Grace Mahya: ebay.us/5WV1Ny
Sound Sample with;
Denafrips Pontus II R2R DAC: ebay.us/3trQ7c
iFi Nova AC Cable: amzn.to/3eKLewZ
Sony HAP-Z1ES: amzn.to/3ckCZ5w
JBL L100 Classic 75th AE Speaker: Good Luck Finding One.
Denon PMA-SX11 Integrated Amplifier: ebay.us/NllM5G
Oyaide Neo Class A USB Cable: amzn.to/3uGFAi4
Mogami 2549 XLR Cables: amzn.to/3KGq0ej
Associated Equipments,
KLH Model Five Speaker: amzn.to/3HBeu40
Musician Knight 1 speaker: ebay.us/U0wigN
Denafrips Aries II R2R DAC: ebay.us/BSUgTh
Gustard R26 DAC: amzn.to/3R2EMzM, bit.ly/3LO2RZC
Musician Aquarius DAC: amzn.to/33Wzan9, bit.ly/3UIbrNu
Denafrips Aries II R2R DAC: ebay.us/BSUgTh
SMSL SU-10 DAC: amzn.to/3UFiMx4
Isolation Feet: amzn.to/3s8hcGV
Denon DP-47F TT: ebay.us/mVSTSZ
Denon DL-301MKII MC Cart: amzn.to/3P2WH8O
, ebay.us/liwkG4
Viborg Silver RCA Cables: amzn.to/3KTmZHj
Belden 8402 XLR Cable: ebay.us/730SXI
Oyaide Black Mamba Alpha AC Power Cord: ebay.us/5T2uZP
TBR Custom Speaker Cable: • Making High Quality Sp...
TBR Custom AC Power Cables: • Easy DIY Shielded Audi... , • Audiophile Grade Power...
Hey!
Only Option To Listen RU-vid Sound Demo is with good headphones, not your favorite sound system because listening to two rooms at once is not a good thing, no matter how good your sound system is.,
Closest to listen my sound sample is with
Sony MDR-7506 amzn.to/2wAkk54 or
MDR-CD900St amzn.to/3p4PHNM
If you use these links above to purchase any items from Amazon or eBay(No Extra Cost To You), I get a small percentage which help support my work and helps me keep going.
Video Timeline:
0:00 Pontus II
7:05 vs. Ares II
10:40 Advice
11:01 Notes & Thoughts
12:04 Sound Sample
#tharbamar

Опубликовано:

11 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 140

@markhershberger9477 Год назад

Beautiful review Tharbarmar….much appreciated. Your intimate and realistic setting, as well as your down to earth experience based perspective on the Pontus II are very enjoyable and informative. You do such good work. Thank you.

@milosevicbojan07 Год назад

Man... this reali soundig GREAT! So livelike with real energy and dynamic!

@gg0297 Год назад

Great work, as always! 👍 Great slippers, too! 😁

@liamporter1137 Год назад

Great review as usual.

@dennishill290 Год назад

Nice presentation again 👏.... !

@andreacountry8471 Год назад

It's snowing!🤘❄☃️🎄

@Tharbamar Год назад

Listening to favorite music while watching snow fall is really serene.

@miltonballester1826 Год назад

Excellent review. Almost a year with it and I love it! Improved one level up with Denafrips Iris DDC.

@sean_heisler Год назад

What digital transport were you using before you added the iris? I have an iFi Zen Stream as my digital transport and started out using coax with my Pontus II and then tried USB with an iFi Purifier USB that cleans up the signal some and it sounds even better than coax. Since the Zen Stream is so clean already AND I use the iFi Purifier I have to wonder how much a DDC would do for me. Would be interesting know what you were using and if it was a computer where you would no doubt see improvement if so.

@toddt5562 Год назад

@@sean_heisler I have the Pontus 2 as well as the Zen Stream. Also have the Denafrips Hermes DDC in line which cleans and reclocks all my digital sources, and allows them all to be fed to the Pontus via I2S. Zen Stream is an excellent source for the money, and while I doubt you would see a huge improvement with a DDC, there still should be some incremental benefits. I'm also running a linear power supply for my ZenStream, one from LHY Audio. The difference's magnitude will probably also be contingent upon how highly resolving the rest of your system is... In my case I'm also running a Denafrips Athena and Apollo driving Tekton double impact speakers. Hope this info helps.

@sean_heisler Год назад

@@toddt5562 Thanks, Todd! Great info. Really good info as I’ve been thinking about a linear PSU for my zen stream as well. I figured both upgrades would likely be incremental and not transformative. I do have a resolving system - Musical Paradise tube preamp, Odyssey Khartago SE amp and Usher Dancer Mini-X Diamond speakers with proper setup well pulled out and room treatments. I think might actually go for a new PSU for the Zen Stream first. Thanks!

@sean_heisler Год назад

@@toddt5562 Also, is it the LHY-50 that you have?

@Hypofx Год назад

great same experience with my Pontus II

@duangnetradebhavlya3325 4 месяца назад

Very useful reviews. Keep up the good work.

@Tharbamar 4 месяца назад

Thanks, will do!

@rishelbhallabhatia1672 2 месяца назад

@@Tharbamar I love the sound of Pontus . Is there any other dark sounding dac like it ?

@Tharbamar 2 месяца назад

@@rishelbhallabhatia1672 Not really in general from what've tested, thanks

@user-mv9fp4ot6x Год назад

항상 같은 노래로 리뷰해주는게 참 좋음. 기기 별로 특징이 뭔지 쉽게 알수 있기 때문에...

@SerG4862 Год назад

As always, a great review.We are waiting for a review of the new SMSL D400 EX DAC on AK4499EX.👍👍👍

@Tharbamar Год назад

They haven’t contact me yet

@philipharrison5025 Год назад

Nice slippers!!

@bryansu Год назад

something i cant avoid noticing, its snowing outside your house...hahaha i like snow.

@sohailhines 7 месяцев назад

Nice review and video - very informative! Can you please tell me what are those fantastic looking isolation balls under the Pontus II feet? Thank you.

@anthonyjriz3 Год назад

Thank you for the review! Can you expand more on the differences in bass? Im considering an upgrade from the ares ii because my turntable blows away the ares ii in the 100-400 hertz range, the ares ii sounds anemic in comparison, will the Pontus ii be an upgrade in that regard ? Thanks

@thepickyaudiophile Год назад

The effective delay of the digital buffer is variable and shifts with turning on/off and switching input. Could be that you have just not hit a large buffer size when watching video.

@REX4340 Год назад

Smooth....

@dougmurray7684 Год назад

Is that snow a blowin' in the background? I too own a Pontus II and love it.

@Tharbamar Год назад

Yes it is.

@saedamad Год назад

Good morning from Singapore

@Tharbamar Год назад

Good morning, have a wonderful day.

@connorduke4619 Год назад

Also snowing where you are?

@robk5745 Год назад

Great review my man! Was excited for this one. How’s this compare to ladder Schumann signature wise?

@beslemeto Год назад

R26 is the best in the price range!

@robk5745 Год назад

@@beslemeto looking at that one too, seems like staging and speed are it’s strengths

@beslemeto Год назад

@@robk5745 yeap..most r2r dacs lack speed which is important.R26 has huge sound stage as well as rich tone and realistic image ..What else you can want from a dac?

@Tharbamar Год назад

@Rob K I will let you know soon, thank you.

@momtazularefin Год назад

Play through an Active Studio Monitor Speaker. You'll notice the differences. I own the DAC for over a year now and it's good. Good energy, fairly detailed, wide soundstage. But in NOS mode is very dull sounding and in OS mode etches the audio with slightly aggressive artificial sharpness and it has minimally V-shaped audio reproduction. The higher end models like Venus and Terminator are better in this regard. Holo Audio Spring 3 also does not have such issues. I do not like this artificial sound, other than this, the DAC is fine. R2R DACs shine with vocals and makes older recordings sound richer. If someone loves music from different ages and genres, R2R is the way to go.

@momtazularefin Год назад

Their Ma15, 2023 firmware update fixed the issue.

@michabuszynski7326 Год назад

Hello The volume is quiter comparing to Gustard R26 do You know why ? its hard to compare because of it.

@sonicplayroompiano4302 11 месяцев назад

Where can we find your music playlist?

@frankomatijasec9651 10 месяцев назад

Hi Tharbamar, can Pontus II be compared To Gustard A26? What would be your opinion ot that comparison?

@Tbagnbdn Год назад

I would like to hear what's the difference with soundstage, how about mids and bass?

@latheofheaven Год назад

You can really tell how much work and time you put into these videos... At the beginning, there was a beautiful snowstorm outside blowing around in the daylight. By the end of your video, it was dark outside 😊 I wasn't real clear about what you said when 'reading your notes' Did you say that you DO recommend Denafrips to make some changes in the sound? So, are there some negatives about the sound? Thank you Sir!

@Tharbamar Год назад

I do recommend Pontus 2 to anyone who is looking for R2R DAC in $2K price range, it was dark outside because that’s when I remembered to read the notes 😀

@latheofheaven Год назад

@@Tharbamar Thank you kindly Sir!

@aguru5217 8 месяцев назад

Great review, really beneficial. I'm new to DACS, but surprisingly to me I'm finding many produce noises i.e. ticks, pops, clicks etc out the speakers or mechanically when the sample rate changes while streaming my Qobuz music playlist. Having a hard time finding a silent DAC. The Pontus II 12th is at the top of my list (hoping it is a good match with a tube amp) after eliminating Chord Qutest and Schiit Bifrost 2/64. Does the Pontus II run silent, or does it make noises with sample rate changes? Thank you in advance.

@Tharbamar 8 месяцев назад

Pontus does not make any noise when format or resolution changes, thanks

@aguru5217 8 месяцев назад

Thank you@@Tharbamar for taking the time to let me know, I feel more confident to make a purchase now. Thanks again.

@rog86 4 месяца назад

@@aguru5217 what didn't you like about quietest?I'm considering the pont 2 12th or quetest. Cheers

@fletchermunson6225 Год назад

Love my Pontus II. I ordered mine with two RCA inputs vs one RCA/BNC. The Ares has two RCA inputs and I dont know what more people don't do it. No extra charge from Denafrips.

@OldBoy-USA Год назад

Why do you need RCA input in DAC? I actually dont use this port

@Infynyte 3 месяца назад

@@OldBoy-USA RCA/SPDIF for coaxial input, not analog RCA.

@mehmetcamat4458 Год назад

how would you compare it to Gustard R26?

@yettamon956 10 месяцев назад

can you compare this dac to audio gd r8he mk3? thx

@bobb.9917 Год назад

I own the Pontus II and love it. I recently watched a review at iiWi of the Gustard R26 DAC….and he gave me a little FOMO! 😁…I am guessing that after you post your Gustard R26 review that you will compare it to The Pontus II…I am looking forward to all of your upcoming reviews!!! 👍🏼

@connorduke4619 Год назад

Gustard R26 is better with the smoothness of R2R but the higher resolution of a Delta Sigma dac.. If you sell your Pontus before everyone realises R26 is better, you will still get a good price for it and perhaps lose little to no cash during the upgrade.

@cameronrector178 Год назад

@@connorduke4619 yup I sold my Pontus2 for the R26. Best decision ever.

@Tharbamar Год назад

@Bob B, yes sir I will have comparison of them back to back along with Schumann, thank you.

@bobb.9917 Год назад

@@connorduke4619 I am in no hurry…..I worked hard (and made some costly mistakes), getting my system to where it is. Right now…I just look forward to listening to and finding new music! iiWi said exactly what you said about the Gustard(he is a REALLY good reviewer, TOO)…and contrary to some opinions, in silver I think the Gustard looks pretty cool, has a screen and a remote which are all pluses in my world……It sounds exciting …but we are still talking nuances here as far as sound changing..and I am old..so my ears are not what they used to be. 🤷🏻‍♂️ It’s fun to see all this great gear being offered, though!!! 😁👍🏼

@bobb.9917 Год назад

@@Tharbamar ALL THREE! That's GREAT! 👍🏼

@michalryszawy Год назад

Thanks for review. I have had almost all denadrips line. Starting from ares to terminator. You should consider add one more topic about your tests - "transients response"/"time domain". I didnt like ares and pontus(terminator also - its little faster but not good enough IMHO) becouse they are very slow in transients response. Jazz, vocals are great but put electronic/hardrock/pop music with ares/pontus and you can go to sleep. Cheers🙏

@Tharbamar Год назад

Will do thanks for feedback.

@134564524241 Год назад

Slow transient response of R2R is normal

@michalryszawy Год назад

@@134564524241 no its not normal. Its normal in "cheap" r2r dacs. Rockna Vawelight, Rockna vawedream, holo spring3KTE have got fast/quick transients response. Maybe Gustard r26 is fast also(i didnt hear him yet, but i order and waiting)

@ryansudding667 Год назад

I agree Mike. I find transient response very important. And yes, I believe that the Aries and Pontus are slower. Venus and Terminator are closer to D/S dacs. What did you end up with?

@134564524241 Год назад

My 2541 r2r DAC transient response is not as good as essdac

@heinzbecker691 Год назад

Hello my Friend😄. How much burn in time do you recomment for r2r dacs? i got a schumann ladder and would like to know if its sound signature will improofe or if it will stay like that. Got maybe 30h on it.

@Tharbamar Год назад

Hi, I never count the time nowadays, usually I left it on all the time for about 2 weeks before I listen to it which should be more than enough time to get it settled, thanks

@heinzbecker691 Год назад

@@Tharbamar hm, okay thanks...for me the schumann doesnt deliver what was promised...my smsl vmv d2 is not that much organic, but overall the more relaxed sounding dac with more layers and more refinement...more resolving with same attack but not anoying...just high end would i say. thx for the answer my friend and greets from germany😄✌️

@TheNaka9 Год назад

My Pontus II has some skipping issues with cd transports using coaxial and aes/ebu inputs, and none with my Aurelic streamer the USB input. Have you tried a cd transport?

@Tharbamar Год назад

Sorry I haven’t use CD for awhile, I would suggest you to try updating firmware if you haven’t. www.denafrips.com/firmware-update

@TheNaka9 Год назад

Yes, I have done two firmware uodates recommended by Alvin Lee but the issue remains. If you can please add a cd transport to your system. Since you review many dac it would be nice to hear what is your take on that. Keep up the excellent work. I always learn from you :)

@georgelo3226 Год назад

Please share playlist on Qobuz if possible.

@Tharbamar Год назад

Sure will do when I reactivate Qobuz, thanks

@richarddegannes2928 2 месяца назад

Hi, Is Pontus 2 12th Ann a fully NOS DAC? Do I need Iris DDC to pair with Pontus 2 12th?

@Tharbamar 2 месяца назад

It does have NOS feature but some beautiful magic in sound will disappear in that NOS mode, thanks

@221298ale Год назад

Hi Tarbamar! and thank you for your great work! Sounds like a great dac to me!!! I would like some advice from you!! my system is pass 150 and pass x1 dynaudio contour 2 speakers and I bought some dac both delta-sigma and r2r specifically burson d160 , chord tt and audio gd r7 mk2 . I love the speed of the sigma especially in electronic music and the clarity in terms of usability but I love the soul of the r2r even more but I can't stand the slowness of some and sometimes it seemed too emphasized. The pontus2 seems to me a nice definitive car but my fear that it is not fast enough and from the comments of the majority the r26 gustard is very fast but I am undecided because as a car it seems to me more balanced and superior pontus2. and even sometimes I think of a delta-sigma like x26pro . sorry if I made it long! thanks again and greetings to all!

@Tharbamar Год назад

I would like to tell you that people will say many different things but remember most R2R DAC will not be fast or tighter bass quality like good Delta Sigma, that is why I have both so should you, thanks

@clarice1001nights Год назад

How does the Pontius II compare to the Gustard R26 R2R? Reviewing two products from the same company only clarifies which of the two are if you intend to only consider one manufacturer. Since you have a Gustard in the lower right hand opening, it seems it would be interesting to consider. It is less expensive, as is the Ladder Schumann. Both are less expensive. I like your reviews, but clarification of the benefits would very much be appreciated. There are a lot of demos of the Pontius II, what I hunger for is your insight.

@Tharbamar Год назад

I will have 3 DAC comparison coming, thanks

@clarice1001nights Год назад

@@Tharbamar Hope it comes soon enough so holiday shopping is still possible.

@connorduke4619 Год назад

@@clarice1001nights Better than all three is Musician Aquarius with proper OCXO clocks, unlike all of the above.

@clarice1001nights Год назад

@@connorduke4619 In what price range?

@klepp19 Год назад

@@connorduke4619 I own Pegasus too and yes it has a bit more resolution like hall ambience than Pontus II but I like the warm darkish sound of Pontus whereas Pegasus is more clear! Pegasus probably similar to Venus II.

@eddietours3728 Год назад

Sir will You review the mission 770 🤔

@Tharbamar Год назад

Maybe but I’m not sure yet.

@joenogueira2801 Год назад

It would have been way more helpful to compare the Pontus 2 to its direct competition such as: Ladder Schumann and Gustard R26. Comparing it to a lower model like Ares 2 is a foregone conclusion and defeats the purpose of a review. Just my 2 cents worth. Cheers.

@Tharbamar Год назад

I will have 3 R2R DAC comparison soon, Thanks

@sean_heisler Год назад

@@Tharbamar that would be awesome! Hopefully Ladder Schumann/Gustard R26/Pontus II. Thanks!

@Pete.across.the.street Год назад

If you're looking to upgrade from ares ii, its useful. Also useful if you don't know how far up the ladder you want to go.

@Kowinaida Год назад

More helpful to you perhaps but what about those looking to upgrade from the Ares II to the Pontus II...?

@joenogueira2801 Год назад

@@Kowinaida You’re not very swift! That’s EXACTLY the reason why you would need to know which one is the better choice. 🤬

@marcusmartin743 Год назад

How does the Pontus II compare to Schumann Ladder DAC?

@Tharbamar Год назад

3 Great R2R DAC Comparison, OS or NOS ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LrlVVth1uyA.html

@bjwal6 Год назад

How does class D go with KLH model 5 compared to your Denon?

@Tharbamar Год назад

Bass control and upper frequencies are not in the same level, many Class D amplifiers come up short in that regard compared to Class A bias amplifiers with big power supply.

@sc0or Год назад

@@Tharbamar Indeed. All switching amplifiers can apply enormous efforts before final switches, but a bottle neck is a quality of power source. Because PWM assumes a voltage is a constant (in opposite to 90% of A, A/B schematics). As a max, D class uses the simplest voltage stabilization inside a switching PSU. This affects low freqs. PWM resolution limits capabilities at high freqs. So, your judgement is correct.

@connorduke4619 Год назад

@@Tharbamar NAD M23 would be a good Class D power amp to review, using the latest Eigentakt technology, it beats most amps near its price range IMO and earned a high German STEREO 93% rating.

@beslemeto Год назад

Sir is it snowing there or what? :))

@Tharbamar Год назад

Yes it was snowing.

@dajikbatarang1 Год назад

Do you prefer the pontus 2 or gustard r26.

@Tharbamar Год назад

I haven’t tried them back to back ye, I will let you know soon.

@mannyf1288 Год назад

I listened closely back and forth to Tharbamar's music samples of both Pontus2 and R26, no difference in lows or highs with my inexpensive headphone. My R26 is scheduled to arrive in 2 weeks, might keep my Ares2 for another system.

@cameronrector178 Год назад

@@mannyf1288 hmm I noticed more realism, detail, and presence from the R26. Every instrument sounded richer and fuller whereas the Pontus 2 sounded veiled and lacked accuracy.

@mannyf5570 Год назад

@@cameronrector178 My preferences are holography, air and separation between instruments as well as vocals. How is R26 with those?

@cameronrector178 Год назад

@@mannyf5570 that’s where the R26 excels the most. Air, environment, holographic presentation. It’s remarkable.

@denisdube8893 Год назад

Hi , but for me a class a/b power is on the best bass response … sorry

@Nightjar726 Год назад

Pardon but those DACs are highly overrated. As always in my opinion. Others may like them I demoed the Venus II for two months and while it had amazing instrument separation , it lacked punch , weight and authority. Timbre wasn’t the best either. Was a very very polite DAC. Thanks for the review

@galessi1226 Год назад

What dac have chosen over the denifrips?

@sc0or Год назад

That’s a psychoacoustic imho. You hear everything(!) and this does not allow you to hear a “punch”, because there are to many voices, a frequency range is full of sound. If you focus on only one instrument, I think you will hear its “punch” where it must be. However, even in this case a lot of audible echoes, reverbs, harmonics (I mean instrument harmonics that the instrument produces) won’t sound like a simple “punch” (if musicians did not applied special tricks like a fast guitar instead of a slow one, or a more aggressive compressor settings). I faced to this issue few times when I upgraded my headphones or loudspeakers.

@briancampbell7712 Год назад

My iPhone DAC through Bluetooth sounds better than this Chord Qutest DAC...Tharbamar told me about the Denafrips Pontus ll so I'm going to try that one...I feel like a fool have wasted the money for the Chord Qutest🙄- I purchased snake oil 🤣

@denisdube8893 Год назад

As you know class a is the best in bass sound …

@randolphholmes8997 Год назад

p͎r͎o͎m͎o͎s͎m͎ ☹️

@johngian1961 8 месяцев назад

Hi Tharbamar... I want your opinion about the choice i can not make on my own........!! So , because i trust you very much tell me please.... If YOU were ME, what do you would choose.:!!! Denafrips Pontus 12TH or Gustard R26..??????????? Please i want a sensire answer .... My system is. Audio Solutions Figaro S speakers. Naim Nait XS3 Integrated Amplifier. SMSL D1SE dac. (for the moment) Thank you...

@Tharbamar 8 месяцев назад

To each of own, both great sounding R2R DAC but in the end I kept Pontus II in my system based on sound quality alone. Which is much more closer resembler of real analog music playback, thanks.