Post by Owen Y on Jun 25, 2019 16:03:02 GMT 12
If you've noted the enthusiastic following for R2R 'resistor ladder' DAC technology, you'll be interested in this.... Steve Guttenberg The Audiphiliac (24 Jun '19) reviewed the cheapest model Ares (original) DAC from DENAFRIPS (China). " It is...amazing!... It is, so good!... My world is officially rocked by this device!... " Around US$750 (at current exchange rates) - see DENAFRIPS webpage. 
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Post by michaelw on Jun 25, 2019 17:48:12 GMT 12
nice
but no hdmi input = no sale
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Post by foveaux on Jun 25, 2019 18:16:52 GMT 12
Yep, nice I'm trying to increase my knowledge in the Digital sandpit and went to their website etc; incl. Darko's +ve review of the Terminator .
Michael, next DAC up their range the Pontus has: "I²S via HDMI LVDS / RJ45 LVCMOS" does this do it for you?
"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]
"Free - I miss that band, but when I look back, we were very young" [Paul Rodgers]
850 posts
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Post by Owen Y on Jun 25, 2019 20:28:58 GMT 12
Steve Guttenberg’s more detailed cnet review (22 Jun '19).... " Though I try to avoid using the term "musical" to describe the sound of components, that's exactly what made the Ares special. There was a live quality to the sound, more bounce to the rhythms, more visceral impact in the bass. "
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Post by colinf on Jun 25, 2019 20:57:41 GMT 12
Having the Soekris R-2R resistor ladder dac here, I can vouch for the high sound quality from this style of circuit. It does seem to sound more transparent than your average chip-based dac. Although I’ve not heard the Denafrips.
AMR-iFi R&D
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Post by Owen Y on Jul 13, 2019 10:30:23 GMT 12
HIGH FIDELITY (1 Jul '19, Poland) reviews the DENAFRIPS Ares. And in an interview with Zhao Bing Ran, owner & designer of the Singapore founded company, we get to find out what DENAFRIPS means  D-ynamic E-xquisite N-atural A-ttractive F-idelity R-efined I-ntoxicating P-ure S-ophisticated  
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Post by Owen Y on Dec 13, 2019 15:09:41 GMT 12
Another endorsement for the latest version DENAFRIPS Ares II R2R DAC. 'Best DAC 2019' - pronounces Jay at NBT Studio. Comparisons vs the (Euro 2,200) Metrum Acoustics Onyx R2R & Soekris R2R DACs. And with the (US$10k) MSB Discrete DAC. Singapore$ 1028 (around US$750 at this time) - VINSHINE AUDIO - 'worldwide sole distributor' (Singapore). " I've never seen a DAC that outperforms this, in this price category. " " The high frequency is open, just 'airy' & the background is pitch 'dark'... lowest noise floor I've ever heard in a DAC... very, very 'spacious'. " " The 'air'... the 'breathiness' of the midrange is similar to the ($9.950) MSB DAC. "
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Post by Owen Y on Aug 26, 2020 9:48:43 GMT 12
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Post by Owen Y on Aug 26, 2020 10:41:27 GMT 12
Herb Reichert (STEREOPHILE) (25 Aug '20) compares the Ares II to the Terminator (& a few other DACs) The DENAFRIPS Terminator (Sing$5998) is 6x the price of the Ares & sits just below the no-holds-barred Terminator Plus (Sing$8698) as their top model DENAFRIPS DAC. " Compared to the Terminator, the Ares II does simplify and generalize - but just a little, and its solid, no-nonsense realism makes that shortcoming difficult to notice. " " More importantly, the $768 Denafrips Ares II recovered more ambient/reverberant information and generated larger, more precisely mapped soundstages than any DAC I've encountered under $1698. " " I see the Denafrips Ares II as a working person's superDAC. " The DENAFRIPS Ares II vs the (US$995) MYTEK Liberty.... " The Liberty played light and airy with a pacey, vivacious, dancing quality that, in comparison, made the Ares II sound a bit dark and tepid. " The DENAFRIPS Ares II vs the CHORD Qutest.... " Wow, this DAC plays so much more solidly than the Chord Qutest! " The DENAFRIPS Ares II vs the DENAFRIPS Terminator... " Eighty percent of the Terminator's space and atmosphere were still present. " The DENAFRIPS Terminator vs the MYTEK Manhattan II (US$5995).... " The Terminator better preserved the starting points of sounds.... I switched the Terminator (from NOS mode) to oversampling (OS)... impact was stronger, and more realistic, than I anticipated. "  (The DENAFRIPS Terminator has a 2-layer chassis interior, with steel plate shielded PSU housed under the DAC circuitry above.)  
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Pundit
Post by SL1210 on Aug 26, 2020 16:48:23 GMT 12
Yep, nice I'm trying to increase my knowledge in the Digital sandpit and went to their website etc; incl. Darko's +ve review of the Terminator .
Michael, next DAC up their range the Pontus has: "I²S via HDMI LVDS / RJ45 LVCMOS" does this do it for you?
I have done the I2S thing with two DACs. Wyred4Sound DAC2-2 DSD and the Matrix Audio X-Sabre (ASR's top measuring DAC). The I2S protocol was designed (by Sony/Philips I guess) to take the data off the CD and transport it to the dac chip in a CD player. It makes theoretical sense (others disagree) to use that same protocol to transport the data from your laptop or pc to a standalone DAC. Listening comparisons are virtually indistinguishable from USB and spdif. I am sure I did hear an improvement on a couple of well recorded tracks - 'uggered if I can remember them! As few asides: - It is not 'via HDMI'. It is via I2S over an HDMI cable. This is important because you cannot use an HDMI connection. This correlates with the cable point; that is to say the IS2 female connector will look like an HDMI connection. Actually other cables can be used but I think HDMI cable is becoming a de facto standard.
- LVDS is not the only species of Pin Arrangement on the HDMI connectors. Therefore one has to check that the pin arrangement of the output matches the pin arrangement of the input.
- It is important that the output be I2S! This sounds daft but bear with me. There is no point in having for example a USB output on your source - then having a USB to I2S connector - and then going to the I2S input. There you would have two protocols instead of one. (I think Singer do this inane thing). Better to go USB to USB or co-ax to co-ax or I2S to I2S.
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Pundit
Post by harvey on Mar 15, 2021 21:10:33 GMT 12
Been meaning to post my thoughts on the Denafrips Ares for a while now but system changes and the fact that I'd make a really crap audio reviewer have made it difficult for me to write down what I like about this DAC. I've just read this review and it sums up my experience nicely, particularly the comments the sampling/filter modes. I do find myself switching between modes depending on the recording which is my only real gripe as there is no remote and its not a one button affair. www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2020/11/30/denafrips-dac
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