Thanks to icipher of the ABX Audiophile community for lending me this unit for review. What an great unit. Sounds amazing, is built like a vault and put a smile on my face. Is there anything better than that? If you wish to join the channel please click here: www.youtube.com/@OldGuyHifi/membership
Great review, Ed. I am lucky enough to have a Terminator Plus, and it is a sublime beast. I did update the firmware, but it was far from a straightforward process in my case, and caused a number of issues. They seem to have been solved now, but I'm not sure the very marginal change in sound signature was worth the hassle.
Hi Ed. Great review. I pulled the trigger on the Ares 15 and WOW is all i can say. I am a classical musician and i have never heard such a sonically good dac for acoustic or orchestral music My geshelli J2 will go to my headphone rig and this will be my reference piece. Thx for all your input.
That's a dreamy looking DAC. Will I ever by happy with just the J2? Haha! That itch never stops. This is a beautiful looking piece. So glad you reviewed it for us dreamers. Thank you, again!!!
It is very nice. I still love, love my J2S. I do have a Dayzee coming today so, that's my worry. I may fall for that. The review will be a few weeks out though. Thank you my friend.
I’m a new subscriber I’m always behind watching audio related videos which I enjoy very much,…I have not listened to the Denefrips Pontus II however I do have a Venus II 12th anniversary in my office system which turned out to be a absolute sensational match with my Pioneer SX-5590 receiver and TeKton Lore speakers ,. I listen to my office system 5 days a week 7-8 hours a day twice as much maybe three times as much then my main system at many times the cost. Though i enjoy both my systems equally the Denifrips dac is a fabulous bang for your buck ,..Edit ,.I’ll start paying attention to notifications
Superb explanation on these topics, tonight I began using eye covers used for long flights to negate stimuli from other electronics on the couch, went better than expected.Take care, Ryan
Great video 👍👍 I’m running the Denafrips Ares 12-1 ..in my headphone stack …and I’m very happy 😊 Everything has a signature..and you’ll either like it or not. Have a great evening
I really enjoyed this review! You mentioned some of the speakers you have. Interestingly, I have tried many of them, like the DBR62, which was good, but I was left wanting. I saw a review by the Audiophile Man on the Martin Logan 15i bookshelf speakers. He gave them extremely high praise. The ML 15i's were on sale at that time, so I got a pair. For me, they are far superior to the DBR62's. After all, Martin Logan makes super high-end speakers, so they know what they are doing when it comes to good sound. I promise you the 15i's are worth trying, I was was highly impressed and am still using them as my main speakers along with two SVS Pro1000 subs for even bass throughout the room. I stopped hunting for speakers after getting them. They astounded me with their 3D performance, imaging, depth, width, and tone. Great sounding.
Yes, Martin-Logan makes does great speakers. Speakers are such a personal choice, I know the 15is and it is a great speaker if your tastes lean toward a bit more top end detail similar to the Monitor Silver 100s I reviewed. It is nice to out a check in the box for speakers. Problem is we then start thinking about other stuff to buy and then... Vicious circle. Thanks for commenting and viewing.
@@OldGuyHifi @OldGuyHifi I have heard some people say they are bright, too. But no reviewer of the many 15i reviews I have seen have said they are bright. Did you try a pair for yourself? They are not bright, more of a mellow, yet full bodied sound. They have 92 dB sensitivity in a small bookshelf, that indicates high quality, well engineered drivers and crossovers. We'll, if you get a chance to audition them in your system, you will probably agree with me. You can find some very positive reviews on the 15i's, none have mentioned them being bright. The folded ribbon tweeter in the 15i is implemented extremely well. These sound norhing like the small Emotiva, which I also tried.
@@OldGuyHifi and that's a good thing when in balance. I found the DBR62 to a little bright at first, but after break-in they settled down. After a while with them, I became disinterested in them. Something just isn't there for me, though they are pleasant sounding. I believe I liked them more before break-in, they had more character. I eventually sold them.
GREAT review Ed! Love it.. ;) I have never heard a Denafrips product that did nothing more than make amazing music that you can disolve into! My IRIS/ARCE/ARES stack is ABSURD..... ;) Cheers
Gino, which DAC do you have. I ask because I would not give up my J2S for this unit. BTW, I have a Dayzee arriving today and I think it might be an interesting comparison. Thank you my friend.
I have the Pontus 2 with upgraded fpga connected to Iris DDC via I2S and streaming via Eversolo A6 ME. I’m pretty happy with this combo, don’t need to upgrade for years. Eversolo streamers with Denafrips DACs has very good synergy.
Thanks for a great video! I know that soon I will understand how R2R DACs work. I'm really close, I can feel it. LOL Also, thanks for the Holst image, my sons and grand nieces and nephew would play Risk and we would often play Mars,Bringer of War in the background.
Mike, R2R is an acronym for "more audiophile catnip." You know me. I only care about how it sounds. I am glad you are playing classical for the kids. We need to get them hooked early! Thank you my friend.
Great comprehensive review, Ed! I think those Denafrips are a bargain if you can get a used one. They sound fantastic. There is never a glare with these dacs. The soundstages are also on the enormous size. My Ladder Schumann is a similar product. It looks like it was made in the same factory.
Very nice unit! Interesting details - I *think* it has dual internal LPS sections; on the bottom with a shield panel. One for the digital sections and the other for the analog section.
It does. There have been so many reviews of that and I didn't want to open it up. I should have mentioned that. Thanks my friend. BTW my Dayzee demo unit arrived Sunday. Wow!
Good to see you back My Dude! With the Schitt show known as the DNC Camel Derby rolling thru Chitown, you'll never know what could happen! Fortunately RFK had endorsed Mr Trump so there is still some sanity and hope for Illinois and the USA. Speaking of Schitt this Pontus looks awesome man! Rock on Ed! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
I would appreciate if we left any political references out of the comments. I understand people's passions about it but, this is not and will not be a forum for that. I do appreciate your view and any comments about Hifi and pancakes. Thank you.
@@OldGuyHifi I just wanted to use the term Schitt show Ed! It's for the Schitts and Giggles! The brand is such a is such a useful pun with high-minded audiophiles like myself and I couldn't resist, lol. But I'm sorry and will abide by your Code Of Conduct going forward. Namaste bro
@@Feliciano12v You are correct. He might be confused, if he’s using the slow filter the only way to take advantage of the slow filter was in OS mode. Hope he can elaborate this point.
Hello Mr Ed, im looking for your advice regarding DACs, as im a little confused. I purchased 2 DACs through my audio journey, sadly i cant hear a difference, although i really try hard to hear it. First it was a Denafrips Ares and two years later, i have a Musician Pegasus 2 and still nothing. It's a little frustrating because im obviously looking for that improvement everyone is talking about. For reference i have an Audiolab 6000a ( which as you, i didn't like either) , a Choco Sound Emei which i really love and even for fun an AVR Denon just to compare. My main speakers are Q Acoustics Concept 300. By the way, i really recommend to you the Choco. It is really special for music enjoyment. I will appreciate any advice you can share with me, as you seem very knowledgeable. I had the theory that as the Choco is a musical amp, it didn't did synergy with the Pegasus 2. But then, i tried the Audiolab and nothing again 😅. I want to try a more "analítical" DAC but im a little afraid to spend more money on DACs, and that's why I'm looking for your advice. Thanks.
This morning (US time) my review of the Chord Cutest will come out. To my ear that unit sounded much better than the Pontus and better than almost all the DACs I have heard. It is not crazy money either. I do have the Laiv Harmony in for review but my guess is it won't sound significantly different then your other R2R DACs. I was quite taken with the Chord unit. It is very musical. Smooth & detailed. Watch my review and let me know what you think. Thank you for the excellent question.
I have been looking at Denafrips for a long while, but I didn't pull the trigger. Sad that they have now moved away from their distributor, Vinshine Audio. Uncertain what support will be like in the future. Do you have any insights?
I don't have any insight on that change. It seems a shame but very common. Years ago I was a manufacturers rep for several audio brands. We would get a new brand and take it to market build the market and then the mfr. would fire us and try to do it alone unsuccessfully. Maybe that is what is happening here. Great comment. Thx.
Another fine lesson, Ed. Do you like this unit or the Geshelli J2 with the 4499 and Sparkos 2590? I have the 4493 with the 2590. Am I missing some auditory goodness?
No. No. I love my J2S with any op-amp and I just got the Dayzee yesterday and first impressions are wow! I am letting it burn in for a few days before seriously listening. Watch this space.
Ed, very good review as always, but, to be clear, the DAC you are reviewing is a Pontus II, 12th Anniversary edition which was an upgrade over the vanilla Pontus II. (It says so on the front panel.) Do you know if the Pontus II (not 12th) included the buffer/reclocker? There's a solid difference in prices on the used market between the Pontus II and the 12th edition.
Gordon, The OG Pontus did not have the buffer/reclocker feature. That was one of the upgrades for the 12H. I can imagine the 12H being more desirable. Good luck if you are hunting for one. If you pull the trigger let me know.
The bad news is you didn't mention the Geshelli Dayzee I am looking at and listening to right now. I would not keep the Pontus. I love the J2S but the Bifrost is my forever DAC, maybe... This Dayzee sounds real good. The Bifrost does things I have not heard and ornery DAC do. The image is amazing, the tonal balance is remarkable, the presentation is detailed without any fatigue. I am sure that after 5 years I have adjusted to it's sound. That said I do love it. Great question. So let me greet back to playing with all these DACs. Ha ha.
Warren, Good question. I do believe imaging is more a function of the speakers and how they interact with the room. Yes, all the gear before the speakers makes a difference as it is their job to deliver the best possible signal. I have found that for the most part inexpensive (under $500) Delta-Sigma DACs have only a fair soundstage. Nothing to get super excited about. The exception in that price range is the Geshelli J2S. It has a very good image. It does not use a traditional Delta-Sigma configuration. It uses the AKM AK4499EXEQ+AK4191 hybrid switched resistor multi-bit dual chip set. This, to me is significant improvement in this category. The best imaging DACs I have heard are R2R multi-bit topologies like my Schiit Bi-frost a few resistor ladder DACs like this Pontus and some excellent FPGA based DACs like the Chord Cutest. I hope this helps you. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks for watching.
Virtually every DAC regardless of the type decodes the digital signal perfectly. That's not where the sound signature come from. The supporting circuitry is where the rubber meets the road. I talked about it in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5JIgG81XUZc.html. let me know what you think. Thx.
Yes and it can manifest itself in the midrange. It can cause the music to sound congested and harsh. It also effects the imaging. Great question. Thx. I did video that among other things discusses jitter. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5JIgG81XUZc.html
Would be appropriate. Totally different price categories. Like comparing a MX-5 to a 911. Both are the best, in their market segment, but a 911 buyer would never consider an MX-5 as a viable option. FYI, I would get rid of my J2S to get a Pontus. I might have to compare the Pontus to the Dayzee I am listening to as I type this. Maybe?
Nice 👍 But as an engineer i can say that all you said about the noise floor is nonsense. As the pontus 2 12/15 th has SNR of 120db (according to denafrips site)the amount of the noise generated is far less of than human hearing can detect ,the margins are huge, even enyo2/ares2 have 115db SNR (in fact all modern dac's are around those SNR figures ) The galion ts a75 amplifier has a SNR of 95db which is 20db Higher ( noisier) than denafrips ares 2 DAC (20db translates to 100 times less noise power from ares2 dac compared to galion ,galion is 100 times noisier) These levels of noise generated from internal electronics of the DAC are so low and negligible they will not be heard in any way even at the lowest music passages) If audio noise was a problem (which is not) Nobody will listen to records on a record player because it's by far noisier than DAC's or other electrics, hi end turntables that cost thousands of dollars or more have SNR of 70-75 db ,not to mention when a record is playing noises are much higher (due to surface noise) yet no one complains when records are played. Talking about noise floor/level and distortion is vastly exaggerated on forums and reviews.
@@OldGuyHifi You should really check your manual before posting. From Pontus2 online manual, pg 10. [Parameter Settings:(1) Filter Selection (Effective in OS Only)1. Press the Mute button once to enter configuration mode2. Press the Mode momentarily OPT On = Slow Filter OPT Off = Sharp Filter3. Wait for 10s4. DAC back in operational mode.]
I like how Paul at PS audio (in a older video) acts like he's never heard of denafrips Looking it up, it doesn't instill much confidence this is sold mainly on ali express.
It is a very premium unit. It is a discontinued at this point and replaced by the 15H version. Remember Mr. McGowen makes videos to advertise he wares. Did ever notice he always works a commercial into the video? Thanks for tuning in.
@@OldGuyHifioh yeah he's a salesman no doubt, can't blame him. I came across a PS audio power cable. Emailed him a few questions about it. Basically didn't know anything about it or wasn't interested in talking about it. I did ask him about the iFi micro iDSD Finale, stated he had heard good things about it... I'm very happy with it, seems to have bested my older Schiit Modius AKM, even amongst my non audio focused friends listening experiences. No dsd, mqa, just straight CD / USB audio. I will say this to Paul's Credit. If you email him he may not even answer the direct question but he will always at least respond.
Oh yeah he's definitely a salesman, though I can't blame him. Came across a used PS audio power cable, emailed him with a few questions, basically he didn't know much about it and or wasn't interested in discussing it. (I figured if anyone would know anything about the product it would be him, ironically) Asked his opinion on the iFi micro iDSD Finale, he stated he had heard good things about it... I'm enjoying it as a external stereo DAC with the AXR100. It seems to have bested my Schiit Modius AKM Even amongst my non-audio file friends listening experiences. Not even with dsd or mqa. Just straight CD/USB 16-24 bit Audio To Paul's credit, he may not always answer a direct question, but he DOES respond.
